


Mystery Women: Book 1 - Fire

by MACRA



Series: Mystery Women of Republic City [1]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-22
Packaged: 2019-02-11 15:15:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 72,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12937986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MACRA/pseuds/MACRA
Summary: For years, the Avatar was the protector of Republic City. Then he vanished. Two decades have passed. Now in the midst of wave of arson attacks a new Avatar appears. But Republic City already has a guardian, the mysterious vigilante known only as the Ghost…





	1. Dragon Flats is Burning

Bolin had managed to get right up to the police cordon. Even from that distance he could feel the heat of the fire. He didn't want to think how it must feel for the fire brigade. He snapped more pictures of the efforts to fight the fire. He concentrated on his camera to distract himself from the reality of the situation. Aperture, focus, shutter speed. Don't think about the people losing their homes. Don't think about how the firefighters had stopped talking about saving the building and had started talking about saving the block.

Suddenly a strange gust of wind made him stagger sideways. Cries of surprise ran through the crowd as other people were similarly pushed off balance. He did his best to ignore the jostling of those around him and regain his focus on the efforts to fight the fire. Another wave of shouts ran through the crowd, although this time Bolin couldn't tell what had disturbed them. He tried to tune it out.

"Hey, you!" cried one of the patrollers at the barrier. "Stop, you can't come through here!" This got Bolin's attention, and he spun around, seeing at last what had caused the commotion. The strange gust of wind seemed to have opened a corridor through the crowd of onlookers, and he saw a woman sprinting through the gap toward the barricade. She was clad in a strange blue and white costume. A mask covered her face, decorated in a pattern that was oddly familiar. Instinctively, Bolin trained his camera on her.

The cop in the center of the line continued to shout his warning. Seeing the woman continue on heedless, some of the officers manning other parts of the line moved to help intercept her. Suddenly, just a few paces from the barrier, she launched into the air soaring over the heads of the surprised police.

*Click*

There were moments when Bolin just knew that he'd made the shot perfectly. When he knew exactly what he would see when the film was developed. The crowd pointing in wonder. The cop, with hand still thrust out in front futilely, head bent back to look directly overhead. And the woman at the apex of her impossible leap, moving gracefully as if she were in the middle of one long slow motion stride along level ground. Whatever else he took tonight, he knew in that instant that this was the picture that would appear on page one.

Then she was on the ground on the far side of the barrier, running toward the burning building and the firefighters. The cops stared after her, too dumbfounded to pursue. Bolin kept snapping pictures. For the first time since he arrived on the scene he was starting to feel hope.

* * *

 

Jun raced through the burning building, the little girl clutched tightly in his arms. She was crying more than she was coughing. He hoped that was a good sign. He'd stayed in the building too long, and he'd get a proper dressing down for it if he got out safe. But it would be worth it if it also meant getting the child out. Ground floor, just yards away from the front door. Jun heard the structure above him crack and rumble. He was too late. He hadn't been fast enough. Jun started to hunch over, hoping he could shield the girl with his body.

"Don't stop! Keep moving!" came a strange voice from the direction of the exit. He saw a woman silhouetted in the doorway. There was something strange in the way she was dressed and he could almost swear her eyes were glowing. She raised both hands sharply from her sides to up over her head. At the same moment, two pillars of stone erupted through the floor on either side of him, rising up to press against the groaning roof. "Get out!" the woman yelled. "It won't hold for long."

Jun overcame his shock and sprinted in her direction. There was another crack overhead. The woman leapt backward, arms sweeping downward to make a pulling motion towards herself. A gust of wind hit Jun in the back, propelling him out the door moments before the hallway finally caved in.

She had him by the arm, pulling him and the girl further away from the building. He gaped at her. He was too young to remember anything but stories, but as a child he had read them voraciously. He would know the costume anywhere. The color had changed from the stories, but the markings were the ones he'd seen in a hundred pictures. And though the uniform had before belonged to a man with a bald head, somehow he had no doubt of her right to wear it. "Are you...?" he began.

"Probably. No time for that now. I saw ambulances down that way." She pointed. "Get the girl looked at. Yourself too. I've got to see what I can do to help." She gave him a slap on the back and ran off toward the Fire Chief.

Jun stumbled off toward the ambulances in a daze. The name from his childhood echoed in his head. It wasn't possible, and yet it couldn't be anyone else.

* * *

 

Fire Chief Ito shouted orders to the hose crew. The tenement where the fire had started was a lost cause. His people were going to have a hard fight to not lose the neighboring buildings as well. Thankfully, they had managed to get them evacuated. After six bad fires in Dragon Flats in the past month, people didn't argue anymore when the fire brigade told them to move.

"Are you the chief?" said a voice at his elbow. He turned to see a young woman in an outlandish getup, her head covered by a strange mask.

"What the hell are you doing here? This is no place for civilians. Get out of here before I have you removed."

The woman made a sudden sharp gesture in the direction of one of the hoses and a slice of the stream flew out sideways. Then with smoother sweeping gestures she summoned the water to arc around to where she was standing. In a moment she was standing with one arm upraised, a sphere of water hovering above her hand, shimmering in the light of the fire.

"Listen carefully," she said. "I can help you. I can get the water wherever you need it. But I need you to tell me where that is. Do you understand me?"

Ito stared for a moment. Then he nodded. "Right. Here's what we need..."

* * *

 

The fires were out, but no one in the crowd seemed inclined to disperse. They still pointed to the rooftops where the strange woman had disappeared once the threat had been dealt with. She hadn't wasted any time, barely pausing to accept the Fire Chief's outstretched hand of thanks and congratulations. That had been several minutes ago, yet the people looked and waited, as if she would pop her head over the edge to give one last wave of farewell. Bolin's instincts told him the show was over, but even so he waited with the rest of the crowd.

"Please tell me you got pictures of all that."

He whirled to see Opal pushing her way through the crowd. He patted his camera. "Oh, yeah. You bet I did."

Opal ripped several pages from her notebook. "Great. Here's my notes. Get back to the Dragon, give these to Editor Moon, and get those photos developed. I'm going to see if I can get some eyewitness accounts. I'll phone in whatever I can get, so be sure to tell Moon that also."

"Roger," Bolin said and started through the crowd. He paused and turned back. "Opal, did we just see what I think we saw?"

Opal swept a hand through her hair. "If we didn't, it was an amazing imitation. Now get going, we've got a scoop to get in."

Bolin glanced down at the sheaf of notes in his hand as he jogged to where he'd left his car. On the top Opal had jotted down what he suspected would be tomorrow's headline.

_Avatar Reborn?_


	2. Reactions

Bolin woke to his telephone ringing. He got up blearily and stumbled into the next room and picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said, still half asleep.

" _Bo?_ "

Bolin came a bit more awake. "Mako. Good to hear from you. Sorry, I was asleep."

" _Sorry. I should have guessed last night was a late one. I saw the paper_."

"You did? Awesome! I got to admit, I plan to pick up about a dozen copies from the newsstand in case anyone in the family missed it. I was blown away when I saw that Editor Moon actually had them print my photo credit in the caption."

" _Yeah, that was pretty impressive. Look, Bo. I've got to ask you. Is this whole thing for real?_ "

Bolin sputtered for a moment before answering. "You think I'd fake something like that? We're not like _Weekly Spirit_ , claiming there are catgators in the sewers."

" _I didn't mean it like that. I mean, is there any chance it was ... faked by someone else?_ "

"Bro, you didn't see that jump. And the stuff with the hoses? How would you fake that?"

" _Yeah, I guess you're right_." Mako sounded glum.

"What's eating you?"

" _The Chief has enough problems with the Ghost. Another masked 'hero' on the scene? She's gonna have kittens_."

Bolin sighed. "You worry too much, Mako. She helped stop a fire. No one's going to be upset about that."

* * *

 

Lin was already dressed for the day when Kya got back from the hospital. She arched her eyebrows when she saw Kya and said "You look wrecked."

"And a cheery good morning to you too. We were run off our feet in Emergency last night."

Lin scowled. She got up to walk over and give Kya's hand a squeeze. "I know that there was another fire. How bad was it on your end?"

Kya sighed. "Really, not as bad as it could have been. We didn't lose anyone last night." She must have really looked rocky, because Lin briefly put an arm around her shoulder and kissed her on the forehead. She smiled weakly.

"You hear anything strange about the fire at the hospital?" Lin asked.

"If it wasn't medical, we weren't talking about it for most of the night."

"And after you got off shift?"

"I didn't really feel like gossiping."

"OK, that does it," said Lin. "Who are you, and what have you done to my wife?" Kya threw a dish towel at her, but couldn't help laughing. A slight smile twitched at the corner of Lin's mouth.

"Why do you ask?" Kya said, her brain catching up with the conversation.

"Hmm. I won't spoil the surprise. The newspaper is in the next room. You might find it amusing. Although it's going to make my life a pain. That sound you hear is Mayor Raiko's blood pressure rising." Lin seemed to be in a particularly demonstrative mood this morning, because she gave Kya a brief peck on the cheek before leaving for the police station.

Kya poured herself some tea and wandered into the living room of their apartment. Of course, Lin had left the newspaper neatly folded, set on the coffee table perfectly square with the edges. Kya swore she only did things like that to annoy. Anyone else would at least have tossed it down casually, or would even have left it lying open on the couch.

She picked up the paper and unfurled it, looking at the picture on the front. Her tea cup fell from nerveless fingers. Moments later, she was seated shivering on the couch, with no clear memory of sitting down. She looked down at her hands. The paper was crumpled in her grasp. She set it back on the coffee table and did her best to smooth it out.

What would she say when Lin got home? She'd have to think of something that would sound normal. Suddenly, sleep seemed very far away.

* * *

 

The morning routine had acquired the status of Ritual in the minds of the rest of the staff. Yin would personally deliver Miss Sato her breakfast at the side of the pool after the heiress had completed her morning laps. The young business woman would share tea with her majordomo, and the two would discuss issues of the estate and any other matters requiring Yin's attention. The staff of course did not understand the full scope of things that fell under the category of "other matters." They did, however, know that the two were not to be disturbed for anything short of the mansion catching fire.

Today, Miss Sato had not yet completed her swim when Yin entered with the tray. The elderly woman set the tray on the poolside table, sat in one of the chairs, and took the liberty of pouring herself a cup of tea. She sat and waited patiently, a slight smile on her lips.

Before long, Miss Sato was climbing out of the pool and toweling herself off. "Good morning," she said. "Any news of the day?"

"Cook has remarked again that you don't eat enough for a starving finch mouse." Yin raised her eyebrows sardonically. "I have advised her that she still should not make any unrequested menu changes, particularly for breakfast. Beyond that, I think you had best look at the front page of today's Dragon-Sentinel before you decide on anything."

Miss Sato shrugged on her robe and started to walk over. "Something to do with our arsonist?"

Yin poured tea for her mistress. "Only incidentally. Certainly no useful information in that direction. Nonetheless, a development we can't afford to ignore."

The young woman raised her eyebrows questioningly, but Yin only smiled and sipped her tea. Her employer sat and unfolded the newspaper. After a moment she said, "Yes, I see what you mean. Impressive. I didn't know they made typeface that big."

"My grandson Bolin took the picture," Yin said with a touch of pride.

"If the subject comes up, please congratulate him for me. And of course, keep an ear open for any details that didn't make the paper."

"That shouldn't be difficult. Bolin is a dear boy, but he does tend to gush. Anything further?"

Miss Sato took a sip of her own tea and sat a long moment before answering. "It's too soon to divert significant resources to investigating this 'Avatar.' Not in the middle of an ongoing investigation. But alert the network to report any information or rumors that they do come across." She paused, frowning. "I'm curious if this is really her first outing, or if she's been operating while managing to keep a low profile."

Yin looked at her sharply. "Anything in particular driving that question?"

"It was a rather flashy debut. I don't want to jump to conclusions. She might just want to do good, and the first opportunity that presented itself just happened to be very public. But it does make me wonder if we have a glory hound on our hands. And with an unknown arsonist at large, I think it would be unwise to forget that fire was one of the elements that the first Avatar had control over."

* * *

 

"Korra!"

Korra snapped to attention and turn to look at Kuvira. "Sorry, what?"

Kuvira shook her head in annoyance. "You'd better pull it together before you get behind the wheel. It kind of looks bad when it's the ambulance driver getting into accidents."

Korra gave a yawn. "Sorry. The coffee hasn't kicked in today yet."

"At least tell me that you were getting laid last night."

Korra rolled her eyes. "You know, there are actually other things that can cause lack of sleep."

Kuvira's face fell more than Korra would have expected. "Crap. I forgot. You just live a few streets away from where the big fire was last night. I probably wouldn't have slept well either with the siren's and everything."

Korra looked away and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, yeah. I guess that did kind of contribute to it. But you know, I guess I'm turning into a city girl. All the noise really doesn't bother me as much as it used to."

"Pity you didn't go out. I mean, I don't have a lot of time for gawkers, but it would have been something to see all the excitement."

"Excitement?" Korra asked cautiously.

Kuvira stared at her. "You mean you don't know? Spirits, you're probably the only person in the city who doesn't. Here, look at the paper."

Korra stared at the front page. _AVATAR REBORN? Mysterious Mistress of the Elements Aids Firefighters._ The picture accompanying the headline was uncomfortably clear. "Huh."

"'Huh?' This is probably the biggest news in years and all you say is 'Huh.'"

Korra bit her lip before answering. "I try not to believe too much of what I read in the papers."


	3. Family Affairs

After a few hours of unsatisfactory sleep, Kya couldn't stand it anymore. She got dressed again and went out, making her way to the old neighborhoods on the coastal side of the city. It had been years since she had been down these streets, but her feet guided her unerringly. It was a disturbing mix of the familiar and unfamiliar. Here the old grocer's store stood unchanged, passed on to the fourth or fifth generation by this point. There a fix-it shop was where there used to be a bookseller's. She wondered if there was anyone about that she knew from the old days. Not that she would recognize them, or they her.

At last she came upon an unassuming shop front. A faded sign identified it to the mostly indifferent public as the Gyatso Meditation Center. Taking a deep breath, she tried the door. It was unlocked, of course. It always was during the day. She pushed her way in, and chimes hanging in the doorway announced her presence. There was no one in the sparely furnished front area when she arrived, but shortly a woman, some twenty years her junior came out of a back room.

A warm smile spread across the woman's face. "Kya," Pema said. "It is so good to see you."

Kya didn't even attempt to return the smile. "I think you know why I'm here."

Pema's smile turned a touch sad. "Of course. But that doesn't mean I'm not pleased to see you. You are always welcome here." Kya flinched and looked away at these pleasantries. Pema was undaunted. "Come to the back and have some tea, and we can talk."

Kya followed her into the back room and sat. Pema worked silently, preparing the tea. Kya supposed she was grateful that her sister-in-law wasn't trying to fill the silence with small talk. Already it was feeling like a mistake to have come. What did she hope to accomplish?

At last she spoke. "So, there's another one."

Pema placed the pot and two tea cups on a tray and carried it to the table where Kya sat. "Yes," was all she said.

"A girl this time."

"A young woman," Pema corrected mildly as she poured the tea.

"And you trained her," Kya said, not attempting to keep the note of accusation out of her voice.

"As was my duty as acting-head of the Order of Raava." The younger woman's calm was aggravating.

"After seeing what happened to this family? To your marriage? All because of the mission of the Order."

"Perhaps it's because I have seen all that, that I take my duty very seriously. Because I see my first duty as being to her, not to a ten thousand year old spirit." Kya snorted. Pema sighed in response. "What should I have done instead?" Suddenly, she seemed very tired, and Kya felt ashamed for needling her. "She was already bound to Raava before she found us. Nothing was going to change that. Should I have lied, left her thinking she was going insane? Turned her away with no notion of how to control the power she has?"

"You could have taught her how to live a normal life," Kya said.

"She doesn't want to live a normal life." Pema shrugged. "They never do. Either it really is the same restless soul reborn to the same power over and over, or Raava always calls to one who fits the type. I did my best to teach her that she has a choice. The hell of giving people choices is that make them, and you have to live with it even if you don't agree."

The two women sat in silence for a while. Finally Pema spoke, following up on some inner train of thought. "You need to try to forgive your father, Kya. For your own sake. I hate seeing what your anger is doing to you."

"Have you forgiven Tenzin?" Kya asked, genuinely curious.

"I do my best to. Forgiveness isn't something you do once and then it's over. It's something you keep doing. Some days I manage better than others." Pema smiled slightly and shrugged.

Kya hunched over her cup of tea. "It's hard."

Pema laughed. "Well, if it was easy, everyone would be doing it."


	4. Night Patrol

Korra stood on the roof of her apartment building, looking at the kite glumly. She still wasn't very good at flying, but she was going to have to improve. Running along rooftops was only good for staying out of sight over short distances. If she wanted to get serious about helping people in the city, she needed a good way to travel long distances unseen or at least uninterrupted, and the kite was her best option.

It felt extremely wrong to think of the fire last night as "convenient," but viewed solely from the perspective of the practicalities of heroing, that's exactly what it was. It had been big and close to home. And distracting; it had been easy to get on the scene before anyone noticed her.

She scowled to herself. She'd been naive to not realize how big an impact being noticed would have. It upset her that the papers made so little mention of the firefighters who had been the ones actually risking their lives. Unfortunately, she wasn't really sure what she could have done differently without being less helpful.

"Can't be helped," she muttered as she pulled the Mask of Raava over her head. "Do good first. Worry about the press later." She snapped the kite open launched herself into the air.

* * *

 

Asami emerged from the secret elevator from her study to the crime lab in the sub-basement. Yin was already there, sorting through agent reports. The elderly woman glanced up and said "Straighten your tie."

Asami chuckled. "I doubt the criminal element of the city will particularly notice the state of my neckwear." However, she tugged the knot more to the center, at the same time checking the throat mic it concealed.

"There will never be a time when the state of your neckwear does not matter. Besides, you aren't just meeting the criminal element tonight." Yin shuffled a sheet to the top of her pile and peered at it through her reading glasses. "Mako is able to get you into the scene of the latest fire tonight." Asami raised her eyebrows sardonically. "Yes, I know you don't need anyone's help to get into a crime scene, but you will admit that it is easier when he clears out anyone who might object."

"But not nearly as fun. How is Mako these days?" She checked the charge level on the electro-glove before pulling it on.

"As a member of your network, he's just fine. As my grandson, he's in trouble. I haven't spoken to him in weeks."

Asami grinned as she tied her hair back. "Except through a voice distorter."

"Which means I can't ask if he's eating properly without blowing my cover," Yin observed.

Asami pulled on her goggles. "I'm afraid I can't help you there." She wrapped the black scarf around her lower face and put on the wide brimmed hat that completed her outfit. "But the Ghost isn't terribly chatty with her agents. For all he knows, I don't even know he's got a family." She got behind the wheel of the black sedan. "Let's hope our fire bug has left us something to work with this time."

Yin nodded. "Keep yourself safe, boss."

Asami gave her a thumbs up and roared into the hidden tunnel from the Ghost's lair to the streets of Republic City.

* * *

 

She might not be good at it, but Korra found flying addictive. The sounds of the city were muffled up here, and there was a wonderful sense of freedom. She'd flown systematically over a good portion of the poorer sections of the city. So far she didn't have any actual crime fighting to show for it, but she had to admit that it had improved her mood no end. 

There was a hint of motion in the alley below. She looped back and landed on a fire escape, somewhat roughly. Catching her breath, she looked over the edge. There was a woman running down alley. Running unsteadily in very impractical shoes and looking back over her shoulder. Korra followed the direction of her gaze and saw a man following at a slightly slower pace. She couldn't make out much in the way of detail about him in the dark, but she caught a glint of light by his hand and realized he was holding a knife.

There was a gasp beneath her, and she saw that the woman had stumbled. Not badly enough to fall, but enough to slow her up. The man saw it too and started running faster. Korra thought she could make out a grin on his face.

"Oh, no you don't," she muttered. Concentrating, she jerked her hand upward. A chunk of pavement abruptly jutted up to shin height right in the man's path. She had timed it perfectly that he had no time to react. Perhaps he didn't even see it before his leg snagged on it, sending him sprawling to the ground cursing. The knife clattered somewhere deeper into the darkness of the alley.

The fleeing woman made good on her opportunity. Korra kept an eye on her until she made it to the end of the alley and had turned onto the busier street. The man was still on the ground clutching at his leg and cursing. Korra vaulted over the railing of the fire escape. She summoned an updraft and floated down next to the man. "Let me guess," she said. "That nice lady dropped her knife and you were just chasing after her to return it."

"I think my ankle's broken," the man groaned.

Korra held out a hand in the direction of his leg and felt the flow of the water in his limb. "Sprained at worst," she said. "Not that I've got a lot of sympathy, either way. I've a pretty good idea that you would have done worse to that woman you were after."

The man looked up at her properly for the first time. "Am I supposed to be afraid of a stupid costume? I don't care what the papers say. You're not real."

"I don't really care much whether you're scared or not." She grabbed his shirt front and hauled him upright. He winced and shifted his weight to his uninjured leg.

"What are you going to do to me?" he asked. His bravado seemed to be wearing thin.

"I need a way to keep you put until the cops can collect you. Lucky for you, this alley has a dumpster."

* * *

 

Korra felt pretty good as she flew toward home. Maybe not the most productive night possible, but saving someone from being mugged felt pretty good. Even if the police had to cut the mugger loose, he'd be off the streets for a few hours. And maybe a little scared when he got out again. She figured she'd need to take her wins where she could get them. 

Her route took her past the shell of the building that had burned the previous night. Lights were on in the neighboring buildings. The fact that they were still standing and occupied was another win to hold on to. A bittersweet one, considering how many people had lost a home last night.

Her train of thought was broken by the sight of a man standing in the alley next to the burnt out building. It was just a fleeting glimpse, but it nagged at her. She wheeled around to land on top of the neighboring building, and peered over the edge. The man wasn't hiding, but he looked furtive. He paced and kept glancing over his shoulder. It was hard to tell from this distance, but he looked young and fit and a little better dressed than Korra expected from the neighborhood. She settled in to wait and keep an eye on the man. Maybe there was more action to be had tonight after all.


	5. Off on the Wrong Foot

Mako paced the alley, aware that his mere presence would look suspicious. No one had noticed him as far as he could tell, and hopefully his badge would be enough to fend off curiosity. As long as nothing got back to Chief Lin.

"Detective Zhang," the unmistakable tones of the Ghost rang out behind him. Mako whirled at the sound, restraining the urge to clap his hand over his heart. The Ghost stepped from a shadowed corner of the alley, one Mako would have sworn had been completely empty moments earlier.

"You do know how to sneak up on a guy," he said a touch reproachfully.

"I'm here at your invitation," she said. "You should know what to expect."

"Yeah, I guess I should. Well, I'm not sure how much there will be to look at. Arson investigators have already been through it pretty thoroughly."

The Ghost had already walked down the outside stairwell to the basement door. She knelt examining the scorching on the outside of the building. "What did they take away?"

"They found remnants of a device of some kind right around where you are. Nothing in the parts that you couldn't buy at any hardware store. Timer looked like an alarm clock."

"Nice consistent m.o. All looks like it could just be some random maniac." She pulled some glass phials and a pair of tweezers out of the pocket of her coat and started collecting samples.

"Are we sure it isn't?" Mako asked.

"I'm sure of nothing. The pattern of operation at work here still eludes me. I need to know how these particular buildings were chosen as targets before we talk about deeper motivations." She stood up. "How much of the building is safe?"

"Just the basement and some of the ground floor. The dangerous parts are all roped off." Mako said. The Ghost opened the basement door and stepped inside. "What if there's no pattern? What if it's just some nut who likes to see things burn?" he asked following her inside.

"And who truly picks their targets at random, with no other agenda? I don't discount the possibility. From a practical angle, it doesn't give many handles for an investigation. I assume the police are keeping an eye out for people leaving behind suspicious packages?"

Make grimaced. "As best we can. Other crime hasn't stopped in the Flats, so there's only so much we can cover."

"It may be time to get some extra eyes on the problem and pull in the network." She busied herself with her inspection of the basement.

Mako watched her work for a moment, until he realized that he was paying more attention to the woman than to her investigation. He blushed and looked away. The suit and overcoat didn't reveal much of the Ghost's figure, probably by design, but the truth was that over time he had become terribly aware of the features that couldn't be concealed. He found himself wondering what her face looked like uncovered. What her voice sounded like without that gizmo that made it unnaturally deep.

He suddenly realized she had been speaking to him. "I'm sorry, what was that?" he said.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice his distraction. "I don't think there is anything more for me to see here. If I learn anything useful from my samples, I'll give the department a tip off. Report any significant developments through the usual channels."

"Will do, boss." As long as she kept treating him like a professional, he was sure he could continue to act like one. He would have to.

She moved swiftly toward the exit. Mako followed more slowly. When he reached the alley, she was already gone.

* * *

 

Korra read the papers enough to be sure that the woman in the dark suit and coat had to be the one they called the Ghost. It had been hard getting close enough to hear much of the conversation without being noticed, but the man seemed to be a police detective and was clearly taking orders from her. 

The sudden emergence of the Ghost from the burnt out building nearly caught Korra unawares, but she managed to ride a wind current back up to the roof-tops. Then she had a nasty shock when a grapple line flew up and snagged the parapet of the building she was hiding on. At the sound of someone rapidly scaling the wall, she retreated further to the shadows under a billboard facing the main street. She had barely achieved what little cover there was when the Ghost clambered over the edge of the building. The mysterious woman didn't even glance her way. She retrieved the grapple line and stored it in a tube shaped device, which she then stowed in her coat. She then ran along the roof top, parallel to the alley away from where Korra was hiding.

On impulse, Korra launched herself on her kite and banked to follow the dark figure. She stayed high in the sky, moderating her speed to stay just slightly behind her quarry, confident that she wouldn't be accidentally spotted.

As she crossed the rooftops, the Ghost didn't seem to take any particular care to conceal herself, but moved rapidly and confidently. She apparently knew her route, always finding the places where she could leap the space between buildings. When she reached a street to wide to leap, she would take to the telephone lines with the assurance of a circus highwire artist.

The tenement houses had given way to factories and warehouses before the Ghost slackened her pace. Then, upon landing on one rooftop, instead of racing across toward the next alley, she turned aside and strode to the rooftop door. It opened at her touch and she went inside.

Korra came to a landing on the same roof, cursing silently as the rooftop gravel scraped roughly under her feet. She stood still for a moment, before deciding that there was no way to know if she had been heard inside the building or not. As quietly as possible, she made her way to the door. It was unlocked. Easing it open, she slipped inside and listened.

It was pitch dark and silent in the stairwell. It was decision time. She could either give up on finding out what the Ghost was up to, or she would have to risk giving her presence away. Sighing inwardly, she summoned a small flame to life, holding it above her head so it wouldn't dazzle her too much. Cautiously she made her way down the stairs. About halfway down the height of the building, there was a door. Korra couldn't sense anyone in the stairwell lower down. Taking a deep breath, she grasped the door knob, extinguished her flame, and pushed her way through.

Enough light filtered in through dirty windows to make out some details to the space. It looked like an abandoned factory. She was at the side of a single large empty room. At various points on the concrete floor she could see the points where machinery had once been anchored. At the far end she could see what a looked like a freight elevator shaft. Next to that on the same wall were a door and window, possibly of an office. She was starting to feel like she was on a wild goose chase, but something must have drawn the Ghost to this building. She started to pad her way across the vast space.

She was halfway across the room when deep mocking laughter echoed around her. She whirled around, but couldn't tell where it came from. The source seemed to shift from one place to another, far too quickly for a person to move. The shadows away from the meager light that filtered in were too deep to tell what lurked in them. Korra stopped turning and waited, listening, fists clenched.

"You're learning subtlety," a voice came from the shadows. There was something feminine about it, even though it sounded at least an octave lower than could possibly be natural. "You're learning it slowly, and you're still not very good at it," the voice continued, seeming to come from a completely different part of the room, "but it's progress."

Korra gritted her teeth. "Is hiding in the shadows what you consider 'subtlety?' Cause I've got a different word for it."

"Why were you following me?" The Ghost's voice came from yet another part of the factory.

"Why were you poking around that burned building? And how did you get that detective to help you? Did you bribe him?"

"So you were curious. Or bored." The dry remark sounded insufferably smug to Korra's ear. "To answer your questions in reverse order," the Ghost continued, "the detective is a volunteer. And while stopping a fire is certainly commendable, finding a way to prevent the next one is better."

"And how has that been working out for you?" Korra snarled. "I'm tired of your games." She slammed a foot down on the concrete floor, and felt the vibrations that returned. She popped open the flask that she wore at her belt, gestured the liquid inside out and snapped a water whip out, aiming inches above where she figured the Ghost's head was. She was rewarded by the sound of an involuntary hiss of breath. "Peekaboo," she said.

The Ghost stepped out of the shadows, clapping slowly. "Very impressive. Now let's see what else you've got." Suddenly she burst into a run toward Korra, pulling a pair of batons from holsters at her side.

She covered the distance between them quickly. Korra cursed and jumped back, shooting off a fireball in the path of the black-clad woman. The Ghost smoothly cleared the point of impact with a dive roll and kept coming. Using fire to scare the other woman off wasn't going to work, and Korra wasn't prepared to burn her. Earthbending was out, unless she wanted to leave dangerous holes in the floor. Trotting backward, Korra reformed her water whip.

She let the Ghost get in close enough to take a swing with one of the batons. Korra snapped the water whip around the Ghost's wrist and jerked sideways. Though pulled momentarily off balance, the woman managed to turn the change in momentum into a flip, aiming a kick at Korra's head. Korra was forced into a back flip herself to avoid the attack and lost grip with the whip.

As soon as she regained her feet, she lashed out with the whip again. The Ghost dodged it easily, but was forced to keep her distance. Korra took advantage of the brief respite to firm up her stance and the next lash with the whip was much more controlled.

For a moment she thought she had actually thrown the woman off balance, but it was a feint. The Ghost tucked into a breakfall, rolled back and then snapped her legs back down flipping back onto her feet after the whip had swung past. As she came back up she tossed one of her batons at Korra's head in a viciously accurate underhand throw. There wasn't time to bring the water whip back to a defensive position, and Korra was forced to deflect the missile with her arm.

Once again, the Ghost closed the distance, attacking with the remaining baton in one hand and open handed blows with the other. Korra was forced into close quarters combat. She was able to fend off the blows, but only just, and she was being driven backward steadily. At this range, her bending didn't do her any good.

Or so she let the other woman think.

She let herself be driven, until the echoes told her she was just a few paces from the wall. She jumped backward and then immediately reversed direction into a forward dive, as if she meant to go into a handstand. Instead, when her body was nearly parallel to the ground she fired off a gust of wind, propelling her upward. She back-pedaled her way up the wall until she was over the Ghost's head, then kicked off, launching herself across the room. Quick controlled blasts of fire pushed her to the middle of the room and turned her in mid-air so that she was facing her opponent. Even before she landed, the water whip was reformed and lashing out.

The Ghost was still turning to face Korra when the whip struck her in the side. The woman managed to roll with the blow, but Korra heard a grunt of pain. When the Ghost regained her feet she was a little slower to square up again than before. The dark clad woman gave Korra a wave with her baton in acknowledgment of the hit.

Korra grinned. "Ready for round two?"

The Ghost settled into a fighting stance, but then said "I don't think so." The woman's free hand darted into her overcoat and emerged holding a metal sphere, which she promptly hurled at Korra. Cursing, Korra instinctively pulled a section of the concrete floor up to form a shield in front of her. The sphere struck the shield and exploded in a burst of light and sound, but not much else. Even from behind cover, Korra was momentarily dazzled. She poked her head out in time to see the Ghost disappearing down the shaft of the freight elevator, sliding down the cable.

Cursing again, she sprinted across the room. Mocking laughter floated up the shaft. By the time she reached the elevator shaft, Korra could hear a downstairs door closing. Korra jumped down the shaft, using a blast of air to cushion her landing. While she was still getting her bearings on the layout of the lower floor, she heard a car motor roar to life outside the building. She followed the sound to the door to the outside, but by the time she got it open, the car had taken off with a squealing of tires. Tail lights faded in the distance. Korra realized with dismay that her kite, her only hope of pursuit, was still on the roof of the factory.

The car squealed around a distance corner. Korra sagged against the outer wall of the factory. "She's crazy," she muttered to herself.

* * *

 

Yin shook her head at Asami's account of the night's events. "Only you would decide to pick a fight with someone you had started to trust."

"I didn't say I was starting to trust her. I said that her behavior is entirely consistent. It's still possible that she is playing a part very skillfully." Asami reached up to place the electro-glove on its shelf and winced as the bruise on her side was stretched.

"It is also possible that you are entirely too stubborn for your own good," Yin said dryly.

"Well, you already knew that." Asami laughed as Yin shook her head again. "In all seriousness, it was a very educational encounter. I couldn't hold everything back and still get her to take me seriously, but I think I got a good picture of her abilities without giving away my best tricks."

Yin had finished emptying the equipment out of Asami's topcoat and was hanging the garment up. "Of course, if she is playing an elaborate charade, you have no reason to believe she wasn't also holding back her best tricks."

"You see, you call me paranoid, but then you come up with gems like that all on your own." Asami grinned as Yin snorted in response. "She's got a temper, but it doesn't seem to make her sloppy. She's a decent martial artist in her own right. Not good enough to beat me if that's all she had going for her. But with her ability to manipulate the elements? I learned enough to know that if I actually do need to take her out, I'm going to need to cheat. Hard."

Yin sighed. "Well, I suppose that passes for a plan. And if by some strange chance she is exactly what she seems, and the two of you are on the same side?"

Asami gave a crooked smile. "Well, I doubt life will be dull with her around."


	6. On the Town

The radio in the hospital locker room was tuned to the news. Korra listened glumly to latest from City Hall. " _Councilman Tarrlok continues his criticism of the police department's handling of the investigation of the string of arson attacks plaguing the borough of Dragon Flats. He has introduced into council a proposal for the establishment of a Citizens Watch task force, which would operate independently of the police force_."

"With him in charge, no doubt," Kuvira muttered.

" _When asked who would head the task force, the councilman answered that an office would be established headed by a member of the city government of suitable qualifications and authority_ ," the radio continued. Kuvira gave a snort.

" _Mayor Raiko stated that under city charter the establishment of such a task force was not within the authority of the Council and accused Councilman Tarrlok of encouraging vigilantism. He stated that the only proper authority for the investigation was the police department and that any individuals or organizations interfering with police operations would be dealt with accordingly. He did not, however, specifically refute the Councilman's accusations that the present investigation was being mishandled_." This prompted a wordless growl from Kya.

" _When interviewed after the Council session, Councilman Tarrlok stated, quote 'If the Mayor and the police were more interested in results than protecting their administrative territory, they would not tar concerned citizens with the epithet of vigilante,' end quote. He then praised the mysterious figure known as 'the Ghost' as a protector of the city, and expressed hopes that the woman dubbed 'the New Avatar' since her spectacular appearance_..."

"Can we just turn it off?" Korra asked.

Kuvira was closest. She reached up and twisted the volume knob down until there was a click and the radio went dead. "I hate it when that Tarrlok says things I agree with. I'm sure the man leaves a trail of slime wherever he goes."

"I think the police are doing their best," Korra said. "I know I wouldn't have the first idea about how to catch an arsonist." She'd been losing sleep over that very question the past few nights, but the others didn't need to know that. "Do you really think Tarrlok does?"

"Not that bit. The police are good at their jobs. And I'm not just saying that because the Doc's married to the Police Chief," Kuvira said.

"Thanks," Kya said dryly.

"You're welcome. I'm just saying that the important thing is results, and the police should be prepared to accept all the help they can get."

"Even someone who hides behind a mask?" Kya asked.

Kuvira shrugged. "If they can help, why not? Look, let's not argue about it. It's bringing all of us down. What are you gonna do tonight, Doc, now that you've been sprung from the night-shift at last?"

Kya brightened. "Lin is taking me somewhere romantic to celebrate. With her, I don't count on 'romantic' meaning more than we get to sit down and have our food brought to us, but since it was entirely her own idea, I don't care."

"Aw that's sweet," Korra said. "Of course, I'm sure Kuvira's crushed that Lin won't be at the gym tonight to kick her butt in the ring. Again." She elbowed her partner in the ribs.

"You scoff, but I've got Grumpy bracketed. Her winning streak won't last much longer." Kuvira said loftily. "However, it doesn't matter, 'cause I won't be there either. I've got a thing tonight."

"Ah, a 'thing,'" Kya said. "What's his name?"

Kuvira arched her eyebrows and smiled. "I really should remember to ask him that before the night's over."

* * *

 

Lin picked Kya up at the hospital. She was dressed in what Kya thought of as her press-conference suit. Kya felt a certain amount of relief. The clothes she had brought to change into after work were at least about the same level of formality, and they were both dressed a little better than you would bother with for your average dumpling-house. 

Lin, however, was keeping mum on exactly where she was taking Kya. The police chief guided her car to the section of town known at the Gardens. This was traditionally the haunt of artists and students because of the low rents. Somehow it had resisted "reclamation" by the better off elements of the city, who were so often attracted to places with interesting character but ended up pushing out the people who made it that way. The night was showing definite signs of promise, but Kya couldn't help teasing her wife. "This looks suspiciously like the way to my brother's gym."

Lin snorted. "Yes, because the first thing I think of when I contemplate of a romantic evening for two is 'Let's involve Bumi.'" After a moment, she relented and said, "I did discover this place one night after my workout, so yeah it's close by."

Their destination was an unassuming but tidy shop front with the words "The Tea House" painted on the window. Through the door was an elegant candle-lit space. A polite young man stepped forward offering to take their coats, and Lin moved to help Kya take hers off. When they arrived at their table, Lin pulled Kya's chair out for her. "You're going all out tonight," Kya said with a warm smile.

The corner of Lin's mouth twitched as she opened her menu and looked in it. "Anything worth doing is worth doing right."

Kya opened her own menu. The selection seemed to be Four-Nations Fusion. She almost immediately spotted three things she longed to try. "How _did_ you find this place anyway? It looks wonderful."

Lin gave an embarrassed cough. "I took the name too literally. I came in hoping to get a cup of tea. They were very polite about it, however." They looked at their menus in silence for a few minutes. Then Lin folder hers shut and said, "You know, we're just three blocks from where we first met."

Kya looked up and laughed. "It's sweet that you know the exact distance. I hope you don't mind if my nostalgia doesn't go as far as paying it a visit. Although that is my favorite of all the times I've been arrested."

Lin's brows twitched although she kept a straight face. "You shouldn't tempt an honest officer of the law into looking up the priors of a private citizen."

"You could always just ask me," Kya said sweetly.

"True, but I'm told it's important to keep some mystery in a relationship." Kya couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, and of course the waiter chose that exact moment to come up and see if they were ready to order.

After they had chosen their entrees and received a recommendation for wine, Kya said, "I forget. What did you charge me with?"

Lin gave her an austere look that Kya knew she was faking. "Contributing to an affray. As I recall, you called me a 'cog in the machinery of oppression.'"

"You're being charitable. I'm sure I called you much worse things than that."

Lin shrugged. "Probably, but that's the one that stuck with me. Most of the other remarks you and your friends were making I'd heard before, and your cog one had kind of a ring to it."

"And then you slapped the cuffs on the slum lord we were picketing." Kya leaned on her hand, smiling.

"Well, it takes two to affray. If he wanted the cogs of the machinery of oppression to do his dirty work for him, he shouldn't have been out there egging on his bully boys."

"Well, that was the moment I fell for you," Kya said.

She was rewarded with one of those wonderful rare smiles that lasted longer than blink-and-you'll-miss-it on Lin's face. "You kind of made that clear the next day, when you waited outside of the station for me to come off duty."

Kya reached across the table to grasp Lin's hand. Lin gave her hand a slight squeeze, and Kya sat in silence, basking in the moment. Her nostalgia was almost making her want to visit the tenement where that fateful meeting had occurred. Almost.

"I'm glad you're in such a good mood tonight," said Lin. With her free hand she fiddled with her water glass. "The past couple of days you've seemed a bit ... off. Has anything been wrong?"

Kya toyed briefly with trying to pass it off as stress, but decided to tell as much of the truth as she could. "Just something happened that dredged up some bad memories. Of the old days. Family stuff."

Lin frowned. "Tenzin didn't get in touch with you, did he?"

"What? No. No, I still don't know where he is, and that's fine with me." Lin relaxed visibly. "It was just some silly unrelated thing," Kya continued, hoping this lie would get lost in the surrounding truth. "I should have talked to you about it, but at some level I knew I was being foolish." She racked her brain for a good way to change the subject. "Actually, you're in a better mood than I would have expected, given the news."

Lin looked blank. "What news?"

Kya stared at her. "The way Tarrlok is going after you, and Raiko's ready to throw you to the wolfbats?"

Lin's lips twitched slightly and a smug look rose in her eyes. "You stopped listening before the best bit, didn't you? The department got a press release out. I praised the idea of greater citizen involvement, while saying the best model would be small volunteer organizations run at the neighborhood level, with the department providing guidance on how to operate safely, effectively, and legally. Both Raiko and Tarrlok are furious with me. Tarrlok because I kept the citizen watch groups out of his power base, and Raiko because Tarrlok still gets credit for a good idea. And neither of them can give me trouble for it without looking bad for the voters."

Kya laughed. "If you ever go into politics as a career, you'll be frightening."

Lin snorted. "I wouldn't serve any city that would elect me."

* * *

 

Yin had been able to pull in about a dozen agents to start the canvas of Dragon Flats. The rendezvous orders had been issued earlier in the day. Now she was manning the phones, giving specific marching orders and standing by to take reports. While she waited, she had a pot of tea and her treasured copy of _Tales of Ba Sing Se_ to keep her company.

The phone rang, and Yin picked up the receiver. "Medium speaking." The name had started as a joke among the agents and then somehow had stuck in an official capacity.

"Agent 17 reporting. I have made contact with Agent 29, and we're located at the corner of River and Kyoshi as instructed," came a woman's voice on the other end.

Yin consulted the search plan. "Proceed to the first alley west of River. Work your way north to the warehouse district. Report anything suspicious immediately. Report at the end of your route regardless. Do not, repeat, do not attempt to remove or defuse any device you might find."

"You're no fun anymore," 17 answered. Yin rolled her eyes. "Look," the voice on the phone continued, "wouldn't it be more efficient for us to split up?"

"The Ghost doesn't want anyone solo on this. You're paired with 29 because, despite everything, you work well together. So play nice and stick together."

There was a hint of a sigh in 17's voice as she said "Understood," and rang off.

* * *

 

Kuvira hung up the pay phone and stepped out of the booth to where Mako was waiting for her with an impatient look on his face. She raised an eye brow at him. "Come one, Haircut. We've got our orders. Let's get this over with."

* * *

 

Kya clung to Lin's arm happily as they exited the restaurant. She'd had a little too much wine, so it was a good thing Lin was driving. She looked up at her wife's face, seeing the habitual, slightly miffed looking frown. But Lin's hand on hers told the truth that her face concealed.

She was about to make a suggestion about how the night should continue once they got home, when she felt Lin stiffen. The other woman came to a halt and grasped her tightly to stop her as well. She was about to ask why when a strange voice in front of them said "Well, well. What have we here?"

Kya faced forward and saw three men blocking their path. It was clear that they weren't there by accident and that they were looking for trouble.

"Aren't the lovebirds sweet?" the man in the center said. He gave a leer.

"You haven't done anything illegal yet," Lin said. She pulled out her badge. "Walk away before you do."

One of the men looked nervous and hissed "A cop?" The man in the center gave him a nasty look and made a chopping motion with his hand.

"Shut it," he said. "It makes no difference."

"Come on, Sweetheart," Kya said tugging on Lin's arm. "Let's go back to the restaurant. We're close enough..." Her voice trailed off as she looked behind and saw that two more men had moved in to cut off their retreat. She cursed and let go of Lin's arm. I _guess I'm about to see how much I remember of Mom's self-defense lessons_ , she thought.

"First chance you get, run for it," Lin muttered.

"Not leaving you, so don't ask," she answered.

"Stubborn."

"You should be used to that by now." She tried to keep her tone light, but she couldn't keep a quaver out of her voice. Kya braced herself as the men closed in.

* * *

 

Korra had just left Bumi's Gym and was walking home when she heard the cries for help. She made a quick glance around to make sure she was unobserved, and then rode an airball to the roof-tops. Her mask was out of her jacket pocket before she reached the top. She dropped her gym bag on the roof top and started running in the direction of the screams, pulling on the mask as she went. Her jacket identified her as a member of the Emergency Medical and Rescue Corps, so she shucked it off, also to be left on the rooftop. She didn't carry the whole Avatar uniform with her and didn't have time to change into it even if she did. But as the power flowed through her, Raava's marks glowed on her arms and through the material of her tank top. She would just have to hope they would distract people from noticing any more mundane details about her.

She reached the street the cries had come from and launched herself into space. She summoned another airball into existence and rode it along the side of the building. Ahead of her was the scene of trouble. Two women, five men. Two of the men and one of the women lay sprawled on to pavement. The second woman was crouched near the first, looking ready to shield her with her own body. Of the three men standing, the chief source of concern was the closest to the women. He was brandishing a knife. A second man was further off, clutching at a freely bleeding nose and cursing, not an active participant but not safe to discount. The last had his back to the rest and seemed to be threatening a group of people gathered in the doorway of a nearby business, telling them to stay back and not interfere.

It wasn't clear which side the unconscious men were on, but Korra guessed from where they lay that they had been with the men threatening the two women. She had no doubt about who the bad guys were. Something about the situation nagged at the back of her mind. It didn't look like your normal mugging. This was something worse. These men had never intended the two women to walk away. Korra felt a rage building inside her.

Kicking out from the side of the building she shot a fireball at the feet of the man with the knife. He leapt back, cursing and looking up at her. The man with the bloody nose followed his gaze and pulled out his own knife, letting loose with more bad language. Korra called the wind to cushion her descent and landed in a dive roll next to the two women. As she came to her feet she released the water from her flask, sweeping it out in one great blob hurtling toward the nearest knife-wielder. The instant before the blob reached its target, she froze it solid. It impacted into the man's chest with a thud. He fell to the ground gasping for breath.

The man with the bloody nose started to rush her position. She sent a gust of wind into him and didn't stop pushing until he slammed into the wall of the building behind him. He collapsed in a heap. She looked around. The last man standing had seen what had happened to his comrades and was making a run for it. He glanced back over his shoulder at her. While he wasn't looking where he was going, she gestured sharply and a wall of rock and asphalt rose out of the ground in his path. He turned his head back forward just in time to run into it full tilt, and then he too was out cold.

Korra was breathing far harder than her exertions warranted, and she realized that she was snarling under her mask. She stopped to take some deep breaths, doing her best to center herself. She then turned her attention to the two women. She stopped in her tracks as she recognized the crouching woman as Kya, the unconscious one as her wife Lin.

Kya was examining Lin. Her distress was clear on her face. _I've got to help, even if she recognizes me_ , Korra thought. She did her best to alter her voice when she spoke, wishing that a naturally mysterious voice were a byproduct of Raava's power. "Is she all right?"

Kya looked up. "She hit her head. She's not... I can't..." She was clearly starting to panic.

Korra knelt next to her, near Lin's head. She summoned her water back to her and gently flowed it around the unconscious woman's head, leaving the face uncovered. She concentrated and the water began to glow. She felt carefully for the injury, coaxing the body back toward its natural state of health. "This is not what I'm best at," Korra said. "You should still get her to a hospital. But I think this should keep her out of danger." Kya checked Lin's pulse, then carefully peeled open one of her eyelids. She must have been pleased with the results, because she sagged in relief.

With the fight over, people were streaming out of the nearby business. Korra stood up. "Call the police and an ambulance. And if you can, get a blanket for this woman." Some of the people started moving to follow her orders. Others' stood back watching nervously.

Korra started to move to check on the men scattered around the pavement, but Kya caught hold over her arm. "Wait." Kya stood, looked cautiously at the bystanders milling around. _She knows_ , thought Korra with a sinking heart. When Kya spoke it was so quiet that even Korra had to strain to hear. "I ... I know Pema."

Korra stared at her. This was not what she had expected. She struggled to think of how to respond without giving away that she already knew what she'd been told. Kya misinterpreted her hesitation and added. "I knew ... your predecessor. I know something of how this works."

"I'm sorry," Korra said cautiously. "I don't have any of his memories."

Kya waved this away, although Korra fancied she saw a flash of disappointment in her eyes. "That's not what I meant. I just ... My name's Kya. I'm a doctor. If you need my help, Pema can find me." The words came out in a rush. Kya touched her hand to her lips as if she were herself surprised at what she said.

"I don't..." Korra began.

"You just saved the most important person in my life," Kya said.

Korra nodded. "All right. Thank you." To her relief Kya just gave her a shaky smile and returned to Lin's side.

Conscience prodded her to inspect the attackers. None were as bad off as Lin had been, but she healed the worst of their injuries as well. However, she left each one pinned to the ground with an earthbent shackle pulled from the pavement.

One of the men who had been down before she arrived was stirring and moaning when she got to him. She grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to a sitting position. "Wake up," she said. All she got was a moan, so she bent a handful of water into his face. He spluttered and blinked at her. "You and your buddies are in a whole lot of trouble," she said. "I guess you don't read the papers much, or you might have known that one of the women you assaulted is the Chief of Police. Cops just love it when you attack one of their own."

The blood drained from the man's face. "I didn't know. He never said. I'm not getting paid enough for that kind of trouble."

"I feel so much better about you, knowing that you thought you were going after a couple of harmless women. Who's 'he,' what did he tell you, and what did he pay you to do?"

The man looked around and pointed at one of his fallen accomplices. "It was Chou who took the job. I never met the man who hired us. We were just supposed to take care of the gray haired one."

Korra pulled his face close to hers. "You mean kill her," she said quietly.

He flinched but he nodded. "I don't know why. Someone just wanted her gone."

"And I suppose you would have just let the silver haired one go when you were done?" Korra asked sarcastically. The man flinched again and wisely didn't answer.

Sirens sounded in the distance. "You tell the cops what you told me," she said. "I'll know if you don't." She let him go and stood. "Time for me to be leaving."

"Hey wait a minute." He tugged at the leg that she'd left encased in pavement. "If you're gone, how will the cops get me out of this?"

"Gently, if you're lucky. I don't really care." She gusted her way back up to the rooftops and was gone.


	7. Ancient History

Heavy blinds were drawn in the window of the Meditation Center, but Korra saw light leaking through the cracks. She took a deep breath and opened the door with the latchkey Pema had given her. Jinora was waiting in the front room. She was seated cross-legged on the floor, eyes closed. She opened her eyes as soon as Korra opened the door and a big smile crossed her face. "Korra!" she cried as she jumped to her feet. She ran over and gave Korra a hug.

Korra hugged her back. "Hey kiddo. Good to see you." They broke the hug, and she grasped the teenage girl by the shoulders. "Is that how you meditate these days?" Korra asked with a mock stern expression. "Your mother would be appalled at how sensitive you are to distractions."

"Oh, honestly," Jinora said. "I was waiting for you. Mom said you were coming by. I was just passing the time."

Korra chuckled. "Just giving you a hard time. Where's Pema?"

"She's in the training hall. I'll go up with you." The two proceeded into the private areas of the building. Jinora gave Korra a sidelong look. "Any chance of you staying the night? The others are already in bed, and they'll be insufferable if they learn they missed you."

"If it's OK with your mother, I'll be happy to stay. And you don't have to pretend you're not watching out for them." Jinora blushed.

"I can't wait until they get old enough to learn the secrets of the Order. They're all really excited about the new Avatar, and it drives me crazy that I can't tell them it's you."

"Well, Ikki will be twelve soon." Privately, Korra felt she could wait longer to have more people learn the truth about her. But she trusted Pema, and she felt she owed it to future Avatars to not interfere with how the Order of Raava operated.

They arrived at Pema's study. Jinora opened the door and they walked into the empty room. Korra made her way to the bookcase that concealed the door to the Order's training hall. She hesitated at it. "Jinora, I hope you don't mind, but I really feel I need to talk to Pema privately."

A look of disappointment flashed across the teenager's face, but she said, "Sure, I don't mind. If I don't see you again tonight, see you in the morning?"

Korra nodded, then pulled the girl into another hug. "You're a good kid, Jinora. I'm glad to know you." The girl blushed but looked pleased. She gave Korra a wave goodnight and practically skipped out of the room. Korra closed the study door behind her and crossed back to the hidden doorway.

The training hall was huge, considering that it was largely dedicated to the education of one person per generation. Learning to bend the elements required a lot of space. The Order must have owned half the block; Korra guessed the room stretched over the next two shop fronts. She did not know and had never asked whether the proprietors of those stores were also members of the Order or if they were ignorant of what their landlord kept above their heads.

Pema was in the center of the room, performing a form with her bo staff. Korra perched on a stack of stone disks to watch the older woman in action. Pema spun through a series of strikes and sweeps with an apparently effortless grace. Korra felt a pang of envy. She still felt like a tigerbull in a china shop. A small rational part of her protested that Pema had started being trained to teach the next Avatar before Korra had even been born. The rest of her couldn't believe she would ever live up to her mentor's example.

During her reverie, she had stopped truly watching Pema's performance. She was brought back to reality with a start when the other woman spun her way over to where she was seated and tapped her gently on the nose. Pema gave her an impish smile and said "Beep." Korra burst out laughing and got up to give her teacher a hug.

"You sounded pretty down on the phone," Pema said. "I'm glad you're not too deep in a funk to indulge my silliness."

"I love your silliness. You always seem to know what to do bring me out of myself," Korra said, feeling lighter.

Pema laughed. "If only I could achieve that with my children. Come into the kitchen and talk about it. Everything is better with tea."

Several minutes later, Korra clutched a steaming beaker of something herbal with a light fruity fragrance. Pema sat across from her waiting quietly. Korra took a sip and sighed. "Earlier, I came across two women being attacked, and I helped them. It turned out to be Kya and Lin."

Pema raised her eyebrows. "That sounds potentially awkward."

"Lin was out cold. I think, I hope she'll be OK." Korra shuddered at the memory of the old cop's still form. "I think Kya was too distracted by the situation and the whole Raava light show to figure anything out." Korra hesitated. "She offered to help me. Out of gratitude. If I ever need it. She said you'd be able to contact her. I think I managed to look surprised that she knew you." Pema gave a dry chuckle.

"She's never seemed to really approve of the whole masked hero thing," Korra continued. "That was pretty clear even before I met you and started training to become one myself. So it seems like a big change. And I can't help feeling that she's hoping for something out of me that I don't know how to give her. I know you don't like to gossip, but I really feel like I need to understand the history here."

Pema looked thoughtfully at her own teacup for a moment. "Kya's mother, Katara, was essentially born into the order. Like Kya was herself. She was only a couple of years older than Aang, but she was a prodigy. She taught him a lot of what he needed to know to become the Avatar when they were both younger than you. And they fell in love. They were more than just partners in life, however. She fought by his side in the war. And in the peace that followed. You've chosen a risky life, just like all of your predecessors did. For Katara as a normal woman without powers, it was even riskier. One day, her luck ran out. Aang blamed himself for her death. Kya agreed with him."

Korra opened and closed her mouth. "Well, crap."

"Keep in mind that I wasn't around for the key events. I was recruited into the order only three years before Aang's death. I didn't even meet Kya until after his funeral, and I didn't really start to get to know her until after I had started seeing Tenzin socially. Aang was a good man, but reading between the lines I think he was a difficult father, so there's quite possibly more to it than I know. Anyway, if I had to guess, I think Kya's estrangement from her father has got to be high in her thoughts." Pema shrugged and gave Korra a sad smile.

Korra sighed. "I was afraid of something like that. I can't _help_ with that. It's a sad story, but it's just a story to me. I don't _know_ anything about Aang beyond what you've told me. I still can't get in touch with my previous lives." She thumped the table in frustration.

Pema took a long sip at her tea. "Have you considered the possibility," she said, "that your inability to contact the previous Avatars might be an indication that you simply don't need to?"

"That makes it sound like I know what I'm doing." Korra buried her head in her hands. "I'm beating up thugs and purse snatchers. The only person I've fought that's been any sort of challenge is the city's _current_ masked protector, and she made it pretty clear that she doesn't want me around. This town doesn't need someone with spooky elemental powers."

Pema laid a hand on her shoulder. "I think the people you've saved would disagree. And the people who care for them. Picture how you would feel if you opened tomorrow's paper to find the news that Lin and Kya had been killed tonight. How many people have you already spared from that? Korra, that's a gift."

Korra looked up. "You didn't always seem that enthusiastic about me taking up the mask."

Pema shrugged. "I wanted you to see it as a choice, not a duty. And over the few years we've known each other, I've come to care for you a lot. Selfishly, I would prefer you safe. But I know that's not the choice that will sit easy with you. So as your friend, I want to help you be happy in the life you know is the right one for you." Pema sat up straighter and folded her hands on the table in front of her and fixed Korra with her gaze. "As your teacher, I need you to tell me what's _really_ bothering you. Right now. No evasions."

Korra stared at the older woman, startled. She started to protest, but then the answer was there before her. "When I stopped the attack tonight, I could tell that those men were out for blood. I didn't know who I was protecting yet. It didn't matter. I wanted to hurt those men. And I did. And that scares the hell out of me."

Pema nodded. "That's good. If it scares you, you can confront it and defeat it. If it it didn't worry you, that's when the rest of us would need to be afraid. We can work together on how to listen to your anger without being driven by it. But not tonight. Tonight, you need to get your rest. So believe me when I say I have faith in you."

Korra smiled weakly at her friend. "Thanks, Pema. That does mean a lot."


	8. Fall Guys

Asami crouched over the box, methodically tracing through the tangle of wires. She was uncomfortably aware of the ticking. The report had come in that Agents 17 and 29 had found something suspicious on their patrol. Their instincts had been good. The box, hidden in an outside stairwell amid a variety of mostly flammable junk, contained a fire bomb of a design consistent with those the arsonist had used previously.

The two agents hadn't been around when Asami had arrived on the scene, which was just how she wanted it. Unless and until the police arrived, she was the most qualified person to disarm the device, but mistakes were likely to be unforgiving.

There was the scrape of a shoe at the top of the stairwell. The person didn't come down the stairs, didn't speak, and didn't leave. The list of people who would react with so little curiosity at the sight of a figure in black crouched over box in an alleyway had to be fairly short. "You were instructed to keep your distance," Asami said without looking up from the bomb.

"Nuts to that," came Kuvira's voice from the top of the stairs. Of course it would be her. "I put in an anonymous call to the police. Now I'm back. Until I hear sirens or you diffuse that thing, I'm watching your back. Don't want the nut who planted it interrupting you."

There was a certain logic to it, although it didn't change Asami's desire to not have anyone else too near the bomb. In the final analysis, however, she just didn't have the time to do anything about it if Kuvira was determined to stay. She settled for saying, "If I tell you to get to a safe distance, you move."

"Just pretend I'm not here," Kuvira answered. Then added, somewhat inconsistently, "How's it going?"

"There are five obvious ways to prevent or delay this thing from going off. Four of them in fact conceal very subtle triggers, designed to set the whole thing off in the face of anyone trying to exploit them." Asami frowned as she traced another wire. "The fifth one gives every appearance that it would actually work. Which seems a little too sloppy to believe."

Kuvira didn't answer right away, and when she did she sounded like she was trying to reassure herself. "Sometimes really smart people do extremely stupid things," she said.

_Like become masked crime fighters and attempt to disarm fire-bombs in dark alleys_ , Asami thought grimly. She looked at the clock used as the bomb's timer. "Very shortly I may be forced to put that hypothesis to the test. This would be a good time for you to start moving to a safe distance."

"If you can't disarm it, you may need help getting to safety yourself," Kuvira argued.

"If I make a mistake," Asami said, "my dismay will be extremely short lived. I am ordering you to move. If you don't, I guarantee you will prefer it if I get blown up." There was grumbling at the top of the stairs, but she could hear Kuvira's footsteps retreat.

Time was too short. She couldn't count on any more margin. She hoped the one safe seeming option actually was and cut the lead. Nothing happened. Nothing continued to happen as she made further careful disconnections. Relief flowed through her. Nevertheless, she couldn't suppress a start when the clock gave a loud click and the alarm started to ring. She shut it off, annoyed with her own reaction.

Kuvira apparently had heard the noise, because she reappeared at the head of the alley stairwell, looking slightly pale. "So I guess it worked. What did you do?"

Asami looked back down at the box. "Disconnected the battery that was apparently the only power source for the detonator."

"That's it?" Kuvira sounded slightly affronted.

Asami ignored the question, instead asking "Where's Agent 29?"

"Haircut was supposed to be convincing the residents to get out of the building. I didn't see anyone in the street when I got here, so I'm guessing that he's still trying."

Asami arched her brows at Kuvira, the effect of which was completely hidden by her goggles. "I would chide you for not using code numbers, except your elaborate system of nicknames is probably equally secure. Anyway, you'd better pull him out. He's already courting awkward questions when the police show up."

"If they show up," Kuvira said. "I'm sure we should have heard sirens by now."

"Hmmm. This has been going on long enough that they may receive a large number of crank reports. Still, I would have hoped they'd take it more seriously." She thought a moment. "You two are done for the night. You did well. I'll keep watch here. I'm curious to see who shows up."

Kuvira started to leave, but turned to look over her shoulder. "You sure you don't want backup?"

"Quite sure. Get some rest." She waited until Kuvira exited the end of the alley, then she considered her options for where best to wait for whoever might come to investigate a bomb that didn't go off.

* * *

 

After taking the precaution of removing the bulb from the light over the alley doorway, Asami had settled in to wait on the fire escape of the building that had been targeted for burning. She was starting to consider giving the wait up as lost cause and going home to get some sleep, when a figure appeared at the end of the alley. A man's voice cursed at the darkness. He fumbled for a moment before producing a flashlight.

Cautiously, he made his way toward the outside stairwell. Asami could hear him muttering to himself. Most of it was unclear, but the words "...gonna kill me if I screwed up," reached her ears. She stayed still, waiting until he reached the bottom of the stairs before she moved silently to the railing of the fire escape. The man was crouched over the box, but he hadn't opened it yet. His hand hovered over it for a moment before he drew it back. He leaned over cautiously, putting his ear near the box. Asami guessed he was listening for the ticking of the alarm clock.

The man sat back on his haunches and swore briefly. Once again he reached out his hand, but this time he summoned the nerve to actually open the box. He swore again as the sight of the disassembled bomb greeted him. On top of the assorted parts was a small piece of paper, on which Asami had left a brief handwritten note. He picked it up and held it under the beam of his flashlight. "'Above you?'" the man read in a puzzled tone.

_That's your cue,_ she thought, and she launched herself over the railing and into space. The man looked up at the sound and a singularly gratifying look of horror crossed his face as he saw her descending toward him.

* * *

 

The man from the alley was stirring at last. Asami hauled him to his feet. She shook him slightly. "Time to wake up."

Groggily the man opened his eyes. "What..." After a moment he began to focus properly and his eyes grew wide as he looked at her. "Oh, no."

"Oh, yes. We're on the roof of the building you tried to burn down earlier tonight. And I have questions." She dragged him to the parapet at the edge of the roof so he could see for himself. He was in no danger of going over the edge, but nonetheless he swallowed nervously.

She pulled a metal disk out of her pocket and pressed it against his forehead. He crossed his eyes in a vain attempt to see it. "What's that?" he asked.

"Well, it might just be a 5 Yuan coin. Or it might be a device that will tell me when you lie to me. Do you want to give it a test and tell me that you had no idea there was a fire bomb in that box?"

The man licked his lips before answering in a hoarse voice. "No..."

"Clever boy. Did you make the bomb?" He started to shake his head. She said sharply, "Keep still," and he froze.

"No, it wasn't me." He spoke quickly and more forcefully than his earlier answers.

"Who did?"

"I don't know. It was all assembled when I got it. I just got instructions on how to set it once it was in place."

"Who gave you the bomb?"

He hesitated before answering. "I can't tell you that. It's..."

"Think very carefully," she interrupted him. "I understand that whoever gave you the bomb doesn't want you to talk, and they doubtless told you how unhealthy it would be to do so." She gradually increased the pressure on his forehead, bit by bit making him lean further and further back over the parapet. "They. Are. Not. Here. Right. Now."

"Oh, Spirits, don't kill me!" He closed his eyes. She didn't answer and didn't let up on the pressure. "It was Silk! Silk Sozan! He's a recruiter for the Triple Threats." She backed off the pressure slightly.

"I'm aware of Mr. Sozan," she said. "This neighborhood is Triple Threat territory. A lot of protection money comes out of here. This isn't their style for dealing with people who don't pay up, and I can't think they'd be too pleased to have people who have made their payments get burned out of house and home. Bad for business."

"The job was off the books. The big bosses don't know." He sounded miserable.

"That can't be healthy for you," she said dryly.

"I didn't know at first! Then I was already in, too late to back out, Silk said."

Asami thought that a more intelligent man would have recognized the potential for counter blackmail. Or the possibility of throwing himself on the mercy of the higher-ups as soon as he knew the truth. Clearly Sozan was fishing from shallow end of the talent pool. Out loud, she merely asked "If it's a side job, who is it for? Not Sozan, surely."

He shook his head. "I don't think so. Someone's paying him too. But who the Mr. Man is at the back of it, I dunno. He wouldn't share something like that with me."

"You set the other bombs as well?"

"Not all of them." He seemed to have enough sense not to expect her to be terribly impressed by this half-hearted denial.

"What brought you back out to the alley tonight? Were you watching the building?"

"No way. I planted it and then got the hell out of here. Then Silk called me up half an hour ago, demanding to know what had happened. He was spitting mad."

She hauled him back away from the edge of the building and released him. He sagged to his knees. "Well, it seems you're in a lot of trouble. Between Sozan and his 'Mr. Man' on the one hand and the bosses of the Triple Threats on the other, I don't fancy your chances. You'd best hope the police think you worth protecting. She took a capsule of knock-out vapor from her coat pocket and snapped it under his nose. He sneezed and collapsed to the rooftop out cold. "A brief stop to deliver you to the forces of law and order, and then I think I should go have a conversation with Mr. Sozan." She flipped the 5 Yuan coin and returned it to her pocket.

* * *

 

The police were already at the scene of Silk Sozan's apartment. No matter how quickly her would-be arsonist had spilled his guts to the cops after she had deposited him at the precinct house, she couldn't see how they would have beat her here. Which meant that they there for another reason. "I hate coincidences," she muttered to herself.

There were more cops around than she would have expected for one mid-level Triad soldier. They were milling about, grim-faced. It looked like all the action was over and the police weren't terribly satisfied with the results.

The answer why came in the form of the Coroner's van. It pulled up in front of the building, and two earnest looking young men got out and entered the apartment block. They emerged sometime later with a single body under a sheet and drove away. Most of the police decamped shortly thereafter.

Of course she couldn't prove that the recently departed corpse belonged to Sozan, but she was certain that he was at least involved in the death in his building, if not himself the victim. "Someone's snipping off loose ends," she said to herself. After making sure that the remaining police officers were there for the long haul, she left to get her own much delayed sleep, feeling extremely dissatisfied.


	9. Breathing Space

The morning headlines were dominated by the attack on Police Chief Beifong. "That could explain a lot," Asami remarked to Yin during their morning conference. "The attempted murder of the Chief of Police could be very distracting. The news of that would have spread before Mako and Kuvira even discovered their firebomb. An anonymous tip that wasn't actually followed by anything catching fire could easily slip through the cracks."

Yin pursed her lips disapprovingly. "From how Mako describes her, I doubt Chief Beifong will take such a charitable view."

"Oh, I'm not saying I approve, just that I understand. I expect a lot of people are catching holy hell this morning." Asami frowned thoughtfully at the newspaper account. "More interesting is the light that this might shed on the police's extensive interest in the presumably late Silk Sozan. The papers only make vague references to there being underworld figures under investigation. The circumstances are definitely suggestive, however."

"So the same fixer was behind two apparently unrelated failed operations on the same night," Yin said with a thoughtful look on her face.

Asami shrugged. "Superficially unrelated. We can take it as a working theory at least."

"If so, someone was having a very bad night last night."

"It leaves us no more forward than where we were yesterday. Odds are good, that whoever is really behind this will lie low for a while." Asami slapped the paper down on the table with a bit more force than necessary.

Yin raised an eyebrow. "We have one less burnt building today than we would otherwise."

Asami gave her a half smile. "True. And we have rather put to rest the lone madman theory for the arson spree. I'm going to need some time to turn over the full implications in my back brain."

"Then the timing is almost perfect," Yin said.

Asami looked at her blankly. "Perfect for what?"

"Two nights from now, if I might remind you, you are being honored by the City Founders Benevolent Society. Now you don't really have a good excuse for not attending. You can brood over the problem just as effectively in a formal gown with a plate of canapes in hand as you can lurking on a rooftop in a dark suit and mask." Yin stood up and began tidying up Asami's breakfast dishes.

Asami sighed. "I was curious how exactly you would find an argument for me attending. I expect you would have found a completely different logical argument if circumstances had been otherwise."

"Of course. Because it would be rude for you to not attend, and whatever you think of most of Republic City's high society, a little social diversion will be good for you. In short," Yin said sternly, "you're going."

Asami chuckled. "Yes, Ma'am."

* * *

 

Mako poked his head through the door to Chief Beifong's hospital room. The Chief was sitting up in bed. Other than the bandage on her head, she looked normal, down to the sour expression on her face. Her wife sat at her bedside; Doctor Kya Beifong looked at the Chief with an expression containing equal parts fondness, amusement, and exasperation, which also seemed pretty normal. He felt a wave of relief wash over him.

The Chief caught sight of him. "If you've got flowers," she growled, "you can turn right around and go out again."

Fortunately, Mako had received advanced warning on the flower front. He held out a box to her instead. "The detective squad thought you might like some mooncakes."

She accepted the box with a humph. "Good call."

Doctor Kya smiled warmly at him. "Thank you, Detective. Please stay a while if you like. Although, I'd appreciate it if you refrain from talking shop."

"Thank you, ma'am." Mako perched gingerly on the edge of a chair and racked his brain for something to say that didn't have anything to do with police work.

"Anyway," the Chief said, "I already got the bad news from Saikhan earlier today." Mako assumed that this referred to the fire bomb that he and Kuvira had found, as well as the failure of the police to respond to the anonymous tip. _If she ever finds out I had any involvement in that_ , he thought, _I will be so dead_. Doctor Kya cleared her throat and gave the Chief a warning look. Chief Beifong shrugged and confined herself to saying "Damn masks, showing us up left, right, and center."

"Just left and right, surely," Doctor Kya said dryly. "There are, after all, only two of them." Mako couldn't suppress a chuckle. The Chief glowered at him.

"How long do you need to stay here?" he asked, hoping this was a neutral enough topic.

"They want to keep me under observation for another day, and then I'm expected to take it easy for a few more after that."

"Well, everyone at headquarters is just glad that you're all right," he said. Her glower lessened a little and she gave him a nod of acknowledgment.

Conversation strayed briefly to other well-wishers who had stopped by. Family from both sides of the marriage. Friends of Doctor Kya from the hospital or of the Chief from her gym; the two lists overlapped more than Mako would have expected. Kuvira had given the Chief a bouquet more appropriate for a funeral with a note taunting her for avoiding a beat down in the ring. It was the only bouquet that the Chief had actually kept. That sounded about right for the both of them, Mako reflected.

Both the Mayor and Councilman Tarrlok had sent flowers with notes overflowing with insincere platitudes. Those had gone straight in the trash, apparently.

Although Mako probably got on as well with his boss as anyone in the department, it wasn't long before the conversation started to limp, and he made to excuse himself.

"Mako," the Chief said as he made ready to go, "I already said this to Saikhan when he stopped by, but it's worth saying again. You, the whole department, needs to keep focused on what's most important. Some scumbag with a grudge paying a bunch of punks to jump me doesn't make that cut."

"With respect, Chief, I'm not sure that's true. It occurs to me to wonder if the motivation was less personal and more professional." Beifong raised an inquiring eyebrow, and he forged ahead. "What if it's less about something you've already done and more about stopping you from doing something?"

Doctor Kya looked unsettled at this, but a predatory smile spread over the Chief's face. "If you can prove it and find the bastard, Detective, you have my permission to nail their ears to the wall."

* * *

 

"Hey, Dangerous!" Kuvira gave Korra a sharp wave beckoning her over from across the gym. Korra grinned and shook her head as she made her way over to her friend.

Kuvira was talking to a stocky young man Korra didn't remember seeing around before. Just as Korra approached the pair, he furrowed his brow and repeated "'Dangerous?'"

"Oh, yeah," Kuvira said with a grin. "You should see how she drives."

"My driving is fine," Korra answered grinning back. "Name one thing I've hit since you've known me."

"That's only because you've got a nice loud siren to warn everything to get out of your way." Kuvira said. She turned back to the man. "Korra learned to drive in Harbor City, so there wasn't a lot to hit besides penguin seals."

Korra gave her a friendly shove in the back of the head. "We do actually have traffic back home. Did you call me over just to give me a hard time?"

"Of course not. I'm capable of doing two things at once." Kuvira gestured at the young man. "Korra, this is Bolin. I used to date his brother. Bolin, this is Korra. She's my partner at work."

Bolin gave Korra a boyish smile and shook hands with her. "Hi there. Always nice to meet another member of Kuvira's nickname brigade."

Korra smiled back. "So what does she call you?"

Bolin sighed. "'Chucklehead.'"

Korra raised an inquiring eyebrow at Kuvira, who had started doing her stretches. "I just call 'em the way I see 'em," Kuvira said. "Anyway, how'd you like to go on a date with Bolin?"

Before Korra could speak, Bolin cried out "What?" He immediately started to blush. "I'm sorry, that didn't come out right."

"And you wonder how you got your nickname," Kuvira muttered.

Korra took a measure of pity on Bolin and gave Kuvira another shove, murmuring "Hush."

"I mean you seem very nice in the half minute I've known you. It's just... I'm not exactly looking for a date. That's why I asked Kuvira." Kuvira started laughing so hard she turned red in the face. Bolin blushed deeper.

"Maybe one of you should wind this conversation back to the beginning for me," Korra said.

"You see, my boss is sending me to cover an event," Bolin began.

"Bolin's a photographer at the Dragon-Sentinel," Kuvira interrupted. "He's the one that took that amazing picture of the Avatar." _Swell_ , thought Korra, although she tried to muster an impressed look on her face. Bolin blushed again, although this time apparently pleased with the accolade.

"Right," he continued. "It's actually because of that photo. Normally, I'd just have a press pass, but Mr. Varrick was so pleased with how well the paper sold that day that he got me an invitation instead."

"A bonus would be nicer," Kuvira remarked, switching which leg she was stretching.

"So, you'll be working," Korra said, trying to keep the conversation on point.

"Well, only part of the time," Bolin said, "and it means I get to have the food, which is supposed to be excellent. Only the invitation is for me and a plus one. And I don't have one."

"But, it's still not a date?" Korra was starting to feel slightly at sea. "And why does that make Kuvira the person to ask? And how did I enter into all of this?"

"You see," Kuvira broke in, "Bolin does not have a girlfriend. But whereas you and I and almost every other single woman in the city are just generically not-his-girlfriend, there is one person who is rather specifically not-his-girlfriend. Lin's niece Opal, as it happens. He asked her first, and she told him to ask someone else."

"She was very nice about it," Bolin protested.

Kuvira rolled her eyes. "Yes, Shu. I'm sure your Oma would only turn you down in the gentlest way possible." She turned her attention back to Korra. "Anyway, Bolin is embarrassed to show up without the permitted Plus One, but he doesn't want Opal to think he's trying to make her jealous. He sees me as a safe person to ask because he thinks I'd never take him seriously as a romantic possibility." Bolin nodded in confirmation, although Korra couldn't help noticing that Kuvira had not actually confirmed an eternal disinterest in him.

"So then why are you trying to fix us up on a blind date?" Korra persisted.

"Nearsighted date, surely. I mean it's not really a blind date if you meet beforehand." Before Korra could repeat her question, Kuvira continued. "For one thing, I am busy on the night in question. And even if I were not, I also have someone I don't want to make jealous. And I'm not taking any chances, no matter how unlikely Bolin thinks we look as a pair. For another thing," she continued, looking at Bolin. "I think Opal is too sensible to get in a snit about you taking her at her word about asking someone else. And if she's not, she deserves everything she gets, and you deserve better than her."

Bolin opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. Korra guessed that he wanted to argue with Kuvira's last statement but was realizing that couldn't without insulting the object of his affections. "Well..." he began at last.

Korra felt she should cut this off before it got further. "Look, Bolin, you seem very nice, but... Hey!"

Kuvira had stood up and grabbed Korra by the collar and was dragging her to another part of the gym. "Pardon us, Bo. I need to speak to my colleague in private."

"What's the big idea?" Korra asked, pulling herself free.

Kuvira glared at her. "Do you have a social life outside of this gym, Dangerous?"

Korra blinked in surprise. "Well, I..."

"That Big Sister thing you've got going with Pema's kids doesn't count," Kuvira added.

Korra glared back at her. "Will you keep it down about that?" she hissed.

Kuvira rolled her eyes. "No one is listening. I don't know why you don't want Bumi or Kya to know you're doing something nice for their nieces and nephew..." _Because,_ Korra thought, _if either of them knew I had even a nodding acquaintance with Pema, they'd probably figure out who the Avatar must be_. "...but your secret is safe with me," Kuvira finished. "Now stop dodging my question."

"A lot of nice people go to this gym." Korra said, feeling defensive.

"That's a 'No,' then. Korra, you need to get out and meet more people." An unusually serious look parked itself on Kuvira's face. "I worry about you, Dangerous."

After a moment, Korra sighed and gave Kuvira a crooked smile. "OK. If he wants to ask me, I'll take him up on it."

On their way back over to where Bolin was waiting, Kuvira gave him a thumbs up and a grin. Korra shook her head but kept smiling. "So what is this shindig, exactly?" she asked him.

"Oh, it's the big Charity Gala that the City Founders Benevolent Society is putting on at City Hall."

Korras jaw dropped. "I ... don't have anything appropriate to wear to something like that." She fixed Kuvira with a look.

Kuvira made a placating gesture. "I know a good vintage shop. I'll help you pick out a good dress for cheap."

"You?" Bolin said, looking at Kuvira. Both Korra and Kuvira gave him a long flat look. He gradually turned crimson.

"Bo," Kuvira said at last, "I'm going to give you a free hint. With Opal, or anyone else you might hope to get as a girlfriend, you might want to watch using that surprised tone unless she's just done something like confess to a felony."


	10. Gala

Korra stepped into the huge reception hall, trying hard not to feel like an impostor. Bolin had taken her arm after they had made it safely past the humorless staff members taking invitations at the door. Judging from the slightly panicked looking smile on his face, she guessed the gesture was more intended as protective camouflage than anything else.

She glanced at him. Bolin cleaned up nicely, and if his formal wear was a rental, he nonetheless wore it well. She had worried a bit about going on a date with someone who, by his own admission, was strongly interested in someone else. But so far the storied Opal had not yet been mentioned, and he had a friendly, easy manner about him. If only she weren't feeling quite so out of her depth socially in this crowd.

A server approached them. Bolin released her arm and took two glasses from the offered tray and handed one to her.

"I should go easy," she said. "I'm kind of a lightweight."

He shook his head. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure it's elderflower. Non-alcoholic. Some of the top members of the Society's committee are in the temperance movement. Anyone looking to get drunk here would need to smuggle their own in."

She laughed. "Well, in that case, Cheers." They clinked glasses

"Bolin, you sly dog!" Bolin turned toward the voice and sighed. Korra followed his gaze. A skinny man with a big nose approached them from the crowd. "Who is this delectable creature?" he said as he drew closer. He captured Korra's hand before she could react and bent over to kiss it. Korra gritted her teeth, reflecting that slugging a perfect stranger within five minutes of arriving at the party would probably count as causing a scene. She pulled her hand back.

Bolin gave another sigh. "Wu, this is Korra. Korra, this is Wu. He..."

"Former society wastrel," Wu interrupted, gesturing to himself, "Now covering the great and the good in all the purple prose a wasted private school education can muster."

"He's the society reporter at the Dragon," Bolin translated.

Korra raised her eyebrows dubiously. "How thrilling for him."

"It is, as they say, a living," Wu said. "A man must eat, and this way I occasionally get to eat hors d'oeuvres." He plucked something off of a passing tray, as if in illustration. "Is the lovely Miss Beifong aware of the caliber of her competition?" he asked Bolin.

"I'm not anyone's competition," Korra said almost at the same moment Bolin said "Korra and I aren't dating."

"Well, at least you seem to agree on that point. It seems a waste. Does that mean that you are available, Miss Korra?" Wu smiled and waggled his eyebrows in an entirely resistible way.

"Not to you." Korra said firmly.

Wu smiled and clutched a hand over his heart as if she had just complemented his looks and given him a come-hither smile. "Perfection. Sadly, Bo, I must tear you from her side. Click-click." He mimed taking pictures.

Bolin looked dismayed. "Already? We just got here."

"Now is the time when people _want_ their pictures taken. While they're all still fresh looking. I'll cut you loose well before the speeches are supposed to begin." Wu grasped Bolin by the elbow. "Now, come. There is a very handsome young general present who is collecting quite the constellation of admirers."

Bolin mouthed a "Sorry" as he was pulled away. Korra gave him a half-hearted wave. She looked around the crowd uncomfortably. Most of the people around her ignored her, but whenever she actually made eye contact with someone, she was sure she could feel the disapproval in their gaze. She took a sip from her glass, suddenly wishing it were alcoholic after all. This was going to be a long evening.

* * *

 

Asami's smile was beginning to hurt.

It was an odd thing. If she was genuinely happy, she never noticed the muscles in her face cramping up. It was only smiling for effect that did this to her. Yin had always informed her that her fake smile was utterly convincing. Since the woman had never shown any inclination toward giving her false assurances, Asami could only conclude the difference was all in her head.

It was hard to believe there had been a time when she had enjoyed these functions. Of course back then she had arrived on her father's coattails. Her circle had been the sons and daughters, not the men and women who ran the show. Most of the younger generation, herself included, had just been interested in having a good time. So she had flirted and danced, talking fast cars and fashion, jazz music and martial arts. She had always looked forward to the next big event of the social calendar.

Her first function after taking the reins of Future Industries had been a shock. Suddenly she was one of the men and women who ran things. Without anyone telling her, the group of people she was supposed to speak to had changed, and they were all there to continue their deals. Business, politics, social connections. That was what the grown-ups were supposed to talk about. So be it. If the circle was to be purely functional, she'd treat it as such. She gave high-society an engineer's analysis, determined that it had no appreciable impact on her ability to sell cars, and gave it up as a waste of resources.

People were taking her appearance here as a signal that she was finally taking the game seriously. It was generally easier to let them keep their delusion. She didn't actually have any need to play. Let them think she did if it made them feel better. Right now the count was at eight offers of unique investment opportunities, three probes to see if she supported the "correct" political party, and two fairly blatant let's-trade-respectability-for-money arranged marriage proposals from declining old-money families. And five patently insincere inquiries after her father's well-being. The last of these had gone so far as to affect surprise at hearing that he was in prison, and Asami had decided it was time for some fresh air.

The terrace was empty. Normally, there would be some overflow from the party, although usually less crowded than inside. Tonight there was an unseasonable chill to the air keeping people inside. She expected that later the teenagers in the crowd would brave the nippiness in favor of looking for a quiet place to neck. But for now she had it all to herself. It was a great relief. She took a sip of her not-actually-wine and sighed. Dad would have sneaked a flask of something in. Normally for anything that wasn't an engineering problem, the correct next step after answering the question "What would Dad do?" was to do the opposite. In this instance she wished she had made an exception. She wandered away from the doors looking up toward the moon.

A noise from the terrace doors made her turn back to the building. A young woman, about her own age stood in the doorway. She looked straight out, not noticing Asami in her position off to the side. She was unfamiliar to Asami. That was not as strange as it would have been in the old days. But still. Even with her current disinterest in the society pages, Asami was surprised that she'd never seen so much as a photograph of someone so striking.

Her dark skin and straight brunette hair spoke of an ancestry from either the far South or far North. The hair was worn short, although not quite a bob. It framed her face nicely. She had an athletic figure, which was flattered by her dress. The blue and white gown was a classic, a little ahead of where the current wave of fashion nostalgia had reached. Asami suspected there might be some people playing catchup after tonight. The blue armbands were a touch she had never seen before.

The woman strode out to the balustrade at the edge of the terrace and leaned on it, looking out over the public plaza adjacent to the city hall. After a moment Asami noticed with some concern that the woman was gripping the railing rather tightly and that her breathing was a bit more rapid than normal.

"Excuse me. Are you all right?" Asami took a hesitant step forward as she spoke. The woman whirled around, looking startled

"Sorry. Didn't mean to disturb you out here," she said. In the light from the interior, Asami could just see a flush rise on the woman's face.

"Don't be silly. It's not private property. And you look like you need the air." She moved closer and laid a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Are you all right?" she repeated.

"Sorry. I mean, it's nothing." The woman mustered up an embarrassed smile. "I was just feeling a bit like a fish out of water. Not really my scene here, don't really fit in. Just needed to get away from everyone for a bit." The words came out in a rush

"Hmm. I think I know the feeling," Asami said in a sympathetic tone. "These events can be really good at making you feel alone in a crowded room."

Something like relief crossed the woman's face. "That's it exactly. Crowds don't usually bother me, but I just got this feeling like I was invisible. It kind of freaked me out." Having it put into words seemed to help the woman calm down. "I take it you've been to a lot of these?" she asked.

Asami smiled. "A few. Let me introduce myself. Asami Sato." She held out her hand. The other woman accepted the clasp and actually smiled.

"I'm Korra." There was a pause during which she did a visible double take. "Wait a minute. Asami Sato as in the woman receiving the Mayor's Service Award tonight?"

Asami shrugged. "Well, they've got to give it to someone I suppose."

Korra raised an eyebrow at this, but her smile was friendly and she didn't pursue the subject. "Well, it's very nice to meet you. Thank you for, well, listening. And understanding."

"It's nothing." Asami realized abruptly that she was still holding Korra's hand. Trying not to seem rushed, she let go and raised her hand to brush a non-existent wisp of hair away from her face. "If you're feeling better, you really should try to enjoy yourself. If nothing else, the food's always excellent.

"I've heard that. I think the food's what the friend who brought me was most interested in."

"Your friend just left you alone in the crowd?" _Get a grip_ , she thought to herself. _You've known this woman two minutes. She doesn't need you getting overprotective._

Fortunately, Korra didn't seem to take the remark amiss. "Oh, it's not really his fault. He's photographing the event for the paper. He had to work."

"Well, in that case," Asami heard herself say, "allow me to act as native guide in his place."

* * *

 

"All right, how about favorite radio show?" Asami said, arching an eyebrow.

Korra snagged a dumpling from a passing tray, giving the waiter a smile and thanks, which seemed to startle him. "That's easy," she said. " _The Adventures of Maaq and Mali_." She took a bite from the dumpling, which turned out to be crab. "Wow, that's good," she said through a full mouth.

The corner of Asami's mouth twitched. "Good choice. The show, not the dumpling, although I'm sure that's fine too. I'm a bit on the fence about the shift away from straight mysteries to the supernatural, but the characters are delightful."

"Oh, I love me a good ghost story," Korra said. "I like the old stuff fine, but it's the spooky stuff that really made me fall in love with it. Now you, what's your favorite?"

" _The Varrick Variety Hour_ ," Asami said.

Korra shook her head grinning. "Great music, but that Varrick is so weird sometimes."

Asami rolled her eyes. "He's even weirder in real life. Honestly, over the airwaves is the only way I can stand the man."

Korra shook her head. "That's sounds so strange. I mean, it makes sense that you know him, but it's hard to think of him as a real person."

Asami laughed. "If you ever meet him, I guarantee you'll still have a hard time thinking of him as a real person."

"Ouch." Korra grinned and took a sip from her drink. She glanced around the room. As her gaze passed over one man, she got the impression that he looked aside to avoid being caught looking. It wasn't the first time she'd had that feeling.

"At risk of sounding delusional," she said, "I keep getting the feeling people are looking at us."

"Oh." Asami sounded resigned. "That. They're probably wondering who you are."

Korra stared at her. "Don't they get strangers at these events? And why would they care?"

"Usually even the new faces know someone, and then spend the party trying to meet lots more. It probably doesn't help that you've managed to capture the attention of one of the most infamously antisocial woman in the social register. It doesn't occur to them that you're not playing the game, so it worries them that they can't figure out your moves."

"These people need to find a hobby." Korra paused and looked quizzically at Asami. "Antisocial? You?"

"I've rather lost my taste for these events over the past few years. It's a long story." Asami looked down, seemingly becoming very interested in the contents of her glass. "I'm glad I came tonight, though," she said quietly.

Korra rubbed the back of her neck and glanced around. Suddenly, the room seemed warmer than it had a moment ago. She glanced back at Asami, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Yeah, me too."

* * *

 

Korra's cheeks had colored rather prettily, and Asami fought down the urge to stare. _Down girl_ , Asami thought to herself. She hadn't meant to slip over into flirting, and she didn't want to ruin the evening by pushing something she hadn't been conscious of wanting five minutes ago. She wracked her brain for an innocuous change of subject.

"It's a pity the actual story about who I am is such a dull one." Korra's voice was a bit overloud. Looking for a change of subject herself?

Asami ignored the voice inside saying _I don't find anything about you to be dull,_ and accepted the conversational gambit. An idea that appealed to the devil in her presented itself. "We could always make up a more interesting one, if you like."

Korra raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Make something up about who I am?" She didn't sound upset, just doubtful.

"Well, it's more interesting if you don't actually lie. Just tell the truth in a way that makes people jump to the wrong conclusions."

"Do this a lot, do you?" Korra was starting to seem amused.

"Well, not so much these days. I used to do it a lot when I was younger. See how many different people I could be on family vacations, that sort of thing."

Korra laughed. "And you look so normal."

"Now," Asami said, starting warm to her theme, "people here don't tell you what they do. They tell you what they are _in_. They're in finance or manufacturing or whatever. So instead of telling people you drive an ambulance, you look at them coolly and say 'I'm in medical transport.'"

"'Medical transport,'" Korra repeated. "Is that actually a thing?"

"Doesn't matter. It sounds like it is. If you say it like anyone should know what you're talking about, no one will admit that they don't. Now, you and I. We have been 'in talks' tonight because we have 'mutual interests.'"

"This is supposed to make my story more interesting? Because it kind of seems like it would do the opposite."

Asami grinned. "Only to normal people. For someone who wants to catch wind of the latest big business deal, this all is terribly exciting."

Korra snorted. "OK. If I'm big enough to be 'in talks' with you, how come no one's ever heard of me?"

"Ah, now here's where your friend comes in. What's his name?"

"Bolin," Korra said. After a pause, her brow furrowed and she said, "Oh, Spirits. I don't know his last name. I never thought to ask!" She clapped her hand over her face.

Asami paused, frowning at a thought. "Wait a second. Bolin at the Dragon-Sentinel." She snapped her fingers. "Bolin Zhang."

Korra's eyes widened. "You know him?"

Asami shook her head smiling. "Never met him, but his grandmother works for me. I've heard loads of stories about the whole family, so I almost feel like I do know them."

Korra blinked. "Wild. I can't wait to see his reaction to meeting you, then."

"Anyway, not using his last name is perfect. Just one name sounds arty. You would say, 'Bolin brought me as his Plus One.' Meaning, you might not be big enough to get invited to this, but someone who only needs one name either owes you a favor or wants to romance you. Doesn't matter which. You seal the whole thing by waiting just a moment for them to start to wonder who Bolin is before saying 'I'm sure you're familiar with his work.'"

"Which, since he takes pictures for the biggest newspaper in the city is actually true." Korra shook her head.

"Exactly. You catch on fast."

Korra laughed. "Has anyone ever told you that you're crazy? In a good way, but definitely crazy."

Asami smiled. "Thank you very much. It has been mentioned."

* * *

 

"You see?" Wu said. "There's still at least an hour before the speeches begin. We'll get you back to your Lady Fair, and you can have the rest of the evening to yourselves."

Bolin sighed. "How am I going to find her again in this crowd? I should have asked her to tag along."

Wu shook his head. "It would have been exceedingly boring for her. Think how boring it was for us, and we were busy at the time." He paused. "Although, I suppose this way you did run the risk that some dashing young playboy has swept her off her feet. Good thing you're not in fact dating."

"I don't think Korra would sweep that easily. Anyway, you're not helping. How do I look for her?"

"Well, if she knows you well enough, and she wants to be found, the logical place to wait would be near the buffet."

Bolin gave Wu a look. "Very funny."

Wu arched his eyebrows and smirked. "Are you saying that you _didn't_ mention that you were looking forward to the food?"

Bolin sighed. "Come one then."

Korra was not near the buffet. On the one hand, it would have been extremely embarrassing if Wu had been correct. On the other hand, it meant he had to keep searching. He consoled himself by first getting a plate of assorted nibbles before resuming the search.

Luck was with him, however. He spotted her chatting with another woman near the big glass doors to the terrace. That was good that she had found someone friendly to pass some time with. And he had to admit, he was relieved that it was a woman, not a man. Being a third wheel with his own guest would have been awkward. "I see her," he said to Wu. "This way."

They hadn't gotten far before Wu grabbed his arm and stopped him. "Get your camera back out!"

"What the heck, Wu?" Bolin said. "And my hands are kind of full right now."

"I'll hold your plate," Wu said impatiently. "You've got to get a shot of that." He gestured in Korra's direction.

Bolin frowned. "Why do you want a picture of Korra?"

"I don't. I want a picture of the woman she's talking to. That's Asami Sato. You know, one of the guests of honor tonight?"

Bolin sighed and started taking the camera back out the bag slung over his shoulder. "I know who Asami Sato is."

"Obviously not well enough to recognize her and know you should take her picture."

Bolin fiddled with the focus. "I was planning to take some pictures during the speeches, you know. It's not like we wouldn't have any pictures of her."

"Sato is looking happy and relaxed at a public event that does not involve wearing hard hats," Wu said. "Trust me. That's news." He sighed. "It is a beautiful thing."

Bolin paused while getting a fresh flashbulb in place. He turned to stare at Wu. "Was there something between you at one point?"

Wu shook his head. "Never stood a chance with her." He sounded dreamy. Then he shook his head again and seemed to come back to himself. "Don't be ridiculous, Bo. Why would you think that?"

"You knew a lot of these people back in the old days. You've never spoken about any of them that way before." He went back to readying the shot.

"What way?" Wu asked.

"Fondly. You even sounded happy when you said you never had a chance." _Click._ Bolin discarded the spent flash bulb and started replacing it.

"Yes, well. Getting disowned is a good way to learn who's been being honest to you over the years."

Bolin decided that he didn't want to push the topic any further. He looked through the camera getting ready to take a second shot. Korra looked back at him, waved, and stuck out her tongue. Asami Sato had a hand over her mouth and looked like she was laughing. "I think we've been spotted," he said to Wu.

"One shot will have to do. Keep your fingers crossed that it turns out. Well, have fun, Bo. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

Bolin stared after Wu as the man walked away. "Aren't you coming over to say 'Hi'?"

Wu shook his head, smiling slightly. "Not tonight, I think. Give my regards to the ladies."

Wu had disappeared into the crowd before Bolin realized that he had taken Bolin's plate of food with him. Bolin sighed and continued his way toward Korra.

As he drew near she cried out "Bolin, Darling!" and hugged him. He looked at her in confusion as she pulled back. "Sorry," she said, laughing. "I got a little carried away. I didn't think I could pull off the Ice Queen from Medical Transport, but pretending to be Asami's ditzy old school friend seemed about my speed, so I was practicing."

Bolin, glanced at Asami Sato, who was biting her knuckles in an effort to not laugh. He looked back at Korra, nodded a couple of times, and said, "I'm sorry. Was that supposed to make sense?"

* * *

 

Asami and Bolin seemed to hit it off nicely, much to Korra's satisfaction. She liked both of them, and would have been sorry to have to choose which new friend to spend her time with. The time had passed quickly, until a polite member of staff had arrived to escort Asami to join the others that would shortly be receiving recognition and giving speeches. Bolin had then also departed to get in a good position to photograph the proceedings.

Korra felt considerably more relaxed than the last time she had been left on her own in the grand hall. She no longer imagined disapproval in every passing glance. And even if someone should choose to give her a hard time, the thought held no terror for her. She stood waiting for the speeches, wondering idly if Bolin and Asami would be agreeable to leaving soon after they were done. The food had been everything promised, but she was starting to get an urge for coffee and pie.

"Excuse me, miss?" a voice said close behind her. She looked around and saw a tall man standing at her shoulder. She smiled and stepped out of his way. Instead of moving past he turned to continue facing her, smiling slightly. It belatedly occurred to her that he wished to speak to her.

"Yes?" she said. There was something naggingly familiar about the man.

"I was wondering if I could speak to you a moment." He gave her a smile and a connection clicked in her brain.

"You're Councilman Tarrlok," she blurted. She restrained herself from wincing, and instead added, "I've seen your picture in the papers."

Tarrlok gave her another of his politician smiles. "Always a pleasure to meet a member of the public who takes interest in the city government. Miss...?"

"Korra," she supplied at his prompting. Feeling that manners demanded something more, she held out her hand. He took it and bowed graciously over it. He made no move to kiss it, to Korra's relief.

"Charmed. I hope you will forgive me for being forward," he began. Korra fought to keep her face still. She had no desire to be chatted up by a man her father's age. As such, his next words were actually something of a relief. "I saw you in conversation with Asami Sato earlier in the evening."

She hadn't actually expected anyone to take an interest in her just because she had made Asami's acquaintance, but she wasn't going to let the opportunity pass now that it was here. Asami would be amused to hear that she got a chance to play her role. She gave Tarrlok an even bigger smile. "Do you know Asami? Isn't she just a dear?"

"Alas, I have not yet had the pleasure of interacting with her socially. Have you known her long?"

Korra waved a hand vaguely. "Oh, sometimes it seems like it's been no time at all. You know how it is." Tarrlok nodded politely at the non-answer. Korra was starting to feel like she was good at this.

"I was wondering," the councilman said, "if Miss Sato had chanced to mention her thoughts on the Dragon Flats restoration."

Korra didn't need to feign puzzlement. "Restoration?"

"In the wake of these tragic fires."

"Oh, you mean the city is going to help rebuild the lost homes?" That actually sounded pretty good.

"We have rather been forced to step in," he said. "It seems very few of the original owners are in financial position to rebuild on their own. But having looked at the situation, I have concluded that if the city is to get involved the project will need to be more sweeping."

"Spirits," Korra said. "I had no idea the damage was as bad as all that." She knew she was slipping out of her social butterfly persona, but she couldn't entirely keep the edge out of her voice.

Tarrlok's smile took on a condescending look, as if he were charmed by her naivety. "It is an ill wind indeed that blows no one good. While tragic, these fires provide a great opportunity to the city. It would be a disservice to the city and its people to merely rebuild a tenement here and there, when we could elevate the entire borough. Make it a showcase for what the city of tomorrow could, indeed should be."

"What happens to all the people living in homes that are still standing?"

Tarrlok waved this away. "The buildings you refer to are cramped and aging. I doubt many will mourn their replacement."

"And the city will do all of this without raising anyone's rent. That's amazing." Korra gave him a theatrically vapid smile and fluttered her eyelashes. Tarrlok's smile suggested he wasn't finding her quite so charming anymore.

"Future Industries has partnered with the city before on public improvement projects. I have hopes that a woman of Miss Sato's vision will recognize the opportunity before us."

Korra had her own hopes for how Asami would react to the councilman's proposal. She had to admit that one night's acquaintance was too short to judge, but it was hard for her to believe that the woman she had talked to would take such a callous attitude. To Tarrlok, she simply said, "Well, I'm afraid she hasn't said anything to me. I can't help you. Maybe you should call her office to make an appointment?"

He nodded at her coolly. "Thank you for the suggestion. It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Miss Korra."

She smiled sweetly. "Don't let me detain you, Councilman." Tarrlok gave her one last politician's smile and strode off.

Korra rubbed her temples. Tarrlok's words bothered her beyond just the casual proposed disarrangement of an entire neighborhood. It occurred to her to wonder whether the fires really had come before Tarrlok's ambitions for Dragon Flats. How ready was the man to make his own opportunities?

She was definitely going to need both coffee and pie. And answers, somehow.


	11. Coffee and Pie, but no Answers

Bolin guided his jalopy through the streets of the city. Korra sat in the passenger seat next to him, enjoying the evening air. They were making their way to a diner that both Bolin and Asami knew. Asami was taking her own car and would meet them there.

"Do you mind if I invite my brother to join us?" Bolin asked.

Korra started out of her reverie. "Huh? No, I don't mind. The more the merrier. It'll be nice to meet him."

"It's just, I don't like to think of how Opal would react to me going out with _two_ beautiful women."

Korra tamped down a smile. "Bo, I said it was fine. You don't need to explain. Although, I think you should take Kuvira's advice. Stop worrying about your friend getting jealous about innocent things. I mean, has your Opal ever acted jealous about you just being friendly with other women?"

"Well, no," he said hesitantly.

"So trust her good sense and don't borrow trouble." Korra picked her next words carefully. "So I'm still not exactly clear what the situation is between you and Opal. Is there some sort of ... understanding?"

Bolin sighed. "No. We haven't even dated. She says she likes me, but she doesn't know if she likes me that way."

"Hmmm."

Bolin glanced over. "'Hmmm?' What does that mean, 'Hmmm?'"

Korra raised her hands. "It means that it's not a 'No' but it really isn't a 'Yes' either. Beyond that, I got nothing."

Bolin sighed again. "Yeah, me neither."

They arrived at the diner first. Korra got a table while Bolin went to phone his brother. "Should I give Kuvira a call and ask her as well?" he asked as he headed for the pay-phone in the back.

"I wouldn't," Korra said. "The way she was talking about her own date tonight, I think it'd be taking your life into your own hands to interrupt her." She decided against mentioning that if Kuvira showed up, it would also partly undo his efforts to reduce the ratio of girls to boys.

Bolin pulled a face. "Good point," he said, and disappeared into the phone booth.

Bolin was still on the phone and Korra had just ordered coffee when Asami arrived. She sat down opposite Korra, closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said "Much better."

No matter how good this diner was, Korra was pretty sure it wasn't the food and drink that prompted the remark. "Fed up with crowds, for the night?"

Asami nodded. "And with standing." The waitress arrived at the table, set down four cups, and filled two for Korra and Asami. "Four?" Asami asked. "Is Bolin a two fisted drinker?"

"He's inviting his brother to join us. He lives nearby, I guess."

"The police detective, right?" Asami's tone was completely normal, but an odd look had flashed across her face, so briefly that Korra wasn't completely sure she had seen it.

"So I gather. I hope it's not a problem."

She could almost see Asami consider and discard the option of brushing off the question. Instead, after a pause, the woman answered "You might not know this, but my father is in prison for bank-rolling a criminal organization."

"No, I didn't know."

Asami shrugged and gave her an apologetic smile. "So my memories of dealing with the police aren't really pleasant ones. But that's unfair. This is a social occasion, and Yin's always spoken highly of him."

Bolin came back to the table at that point, and the topic was dropped by mutual consent. Maybe confessing her worries had been all Asami needed, because she now seemed completely relaxed. When Bolin's brother arrived, she gave him a warm smile and said "It's good to meet you. And I'm sorry in advance, but I'll get in trouble if I don't say this. Call your grandmother."

Bolin and Mako had both laughed, and the latter had blushed slightly. Korra was glad of the distraction, because she was the one in danger of losing her composure at the young detective's arrival. She immediately recognized him as the one she had seen help the Ghost get access to the crime scene just the week before.

* * *

 

"I thought you'd be a bit more of a fan of the Avatar, considering she saved your boss's life." Bolin was starting to raise his voice.

"I'm not saying she hasn't done good things. I'm just saying how far can you trust someone you don't know anything about?" Mako answered. He wasn't getting louder, but judging from his tone of voice, his patience was starting to fray.

"You don't know anything about the Ghost, but you seem fine with trusting her."

Korra wasn't exactly sure how the conversation had turned into a debate about the relative merits of Republic City's two masked crime-fighters. Asami certainly hadn't shown any interest in the topic, and Korra had made a futile attempt to subtly steer talk in a different direction.

Mako was in favor of the Ghost. Unsurprising, given his association with her, but that wasn't something Korra could bring up, even if she had wanted to weigh in on the argument. Bolin was squarely in her corner, which was at least gratifying. But again, it wasn't really something she could acknowledge.

Both men at times sounded like they were laboring under a crush for their respective chosen champions. Which would have been amusing, if the general trend of the conversation wasn't so depressing. Mako's points tended to echo Korra's own insecurities. Bolin, while passionate, didn't really have a strong counter-argument.

"As I recall," Asami broke in, "when the Ghost first came on the scene, everybody said that she was insane. Possibly dangerously so. At least that was what was in all the papers."

"I guess so," Mako said. He looked a bit sheepish. Bolin muttered agreement, not looking any more comfortable.

"I hadn't moved here yet," Korra said. "Back home most people think everyone in the big city is crazy, so I'm not sure she got it any worse than the rest of you, once the news went world-wide."

Asami twitched a smile at her before continuing. "So is she less crazy now than she used to be? Or has everyone just got used to her particular brand of crazy in the past three years?"

"So you think we should give the Avatar more of a chance?" Mako said.

Asami shrugged. "I don't really think it matters whether the likes of us give her a chance or not. She'll do what she does regardless. I guess I'm saying, ask me again in three years what I think of her."

The sound of sirens from the street rose over the conversation. They all fell silent and looked out the diner window as a convoy of fire engines roared past. Mako broke the silence with a curse, which Korra felt summed up her own feelings as well. He stood and laid some Yuans on the table. "I'd better check in on this. They might not have a detective on the scene yet."

Bolin got up as well. "I'll give you a ride. My boss will expect me on the scene as well."

Mako paused for a moment in the process of pulling on his overcoat, but then gave his brother a nod. "Thanks."

"You two be OK?" Bolin asked.

"I've got my car," Asami said.

"It's OK, Bo. Take care," Korra added, giving him a nod.

"Sorry to break up the evening this way," he said following Mako to the diner's front door.

The two women sat in silence for a moment. Korra felt twitchy, sitting still doing nothing when she knew there was another fire out there, but she didn't have an excuse to leave like the guys did. Even so, she couldn't suppress a flash of disappointment when Asami said, "He's right. That really did kind of break up the evening."

"Yeah. It does kind of feel strange kind of strange sitting here with, well, you know." Korra shrugged.

"All that going on," Asami finished for her gesturing in the direction Mako and Bolin had gone.

"Should we go?" She asked. Asami nodded, and the two of them set about figuring out how to split the check.

Outside of the diner, Korra fancied she could smell smoke in the air. "Can I drop you at home?" Asami asked.

Korra was tempted to say yes, but the sooner the two separated, the sooner she could get in uniform and on the scene. "I don't want to put you to the trouble. Besides, I live off that way." She pointed in the direction the fire engines had gone. "Probably best to keep the streets clear."

Asami nodded, but then said "I'm parked a couple of blocks down that way too."

Korra smiled. "Well, then I can walk you to your car." Surely, grabbing that much extra time was all right, she thought. Asami smiled back and the two started down the sidewalk.

After a moment's silence, Korra said "Mako had some good points, but the way he made them kind of made me want to punch him."

Asami laughed. "He has that effect on people."

Korra frowned in puzzlement for a moment. "How do you know that? Oh, of course. His grandmother."

"Yin tells a _lot_ of stories about the family," Asami said. She was blushing for some reason. Korra reflected that her new friend might be attracted to the young detective. It was an oddly disappointing thought. "You've got a bit more sympathy toward our new mystery woman, I take it?" Asami asked, breaking in on Korra's reflections.

"I guess," Korra said, picking her words carefully. "I don't suppose I'd do any better a job than she does."

"Good point. It's too easy to second guess." She seemed strangely somber as she said it.

Korra cast about for something to lighten the mood again. "You know, it's not surprising Mako and Bolin took the sides they did. If Mako became a masked crime fighter, he would totally be the type to brood mysteriously in dark alleys. And Bolin, he'd be the loud unsubtle one, complete with the light show."

Asami laughed hard, and Korra grinned at the sight. "Oh dear," Asami said, wiping her eyes. "Now, I've got an image stuck in my head of Mako and Bolin donning falsies to go out and fight crime."

"Eww. Thank you for sharing."

"Well, consider it payback for putting the image in my head in the first place."

All too soon, they were where Asami had parked. Korra tried to remind herself that a quick parting was the goal, that she had something she should be doing. "Nice car," she said gesturing at the sporty black and red roadster.

"You should see what it can do on the open road sometime," Asami said. She dug in her purse, pulling out a card and a pen. As she scribbled something on the card. "If you like, here's how to get in touch with me. Spending the time with you was the highlight of the evening, and it would be nice to get together sometime. If that's agreeable to you."

Korra smiled as she took the card. "Thank you. That sounds good."

"Well," Asami said. They stood for a moment. "I should go," Asami said at last, fishing out her keys.

"Yeah, me too," Korra said stepping away from the car.

"Take care," Asami said from the driver's seat and pulled away.

Korra waved as she drove off. She waited until the roadster rounded the corner. Then, after glancing around to make sure she was unobserved, she sprinted to the nearest alley and rode a gust of wind to the rooftops. As fast as she could, she headed for home.

* * *

 

Asami had established a network of safe houses in the city for purposes such as this. Still it took time to drive to the most convenient one, get into character, and get to the scene of the fire. She watched the action from the roof of the adjacent building. It was taller than the burning building and made an ideal lookout spot.

She wasn't entirely surprised to see the Avatar present, helping the fire fighters again, as she had on the night of her debut. It was without question an impressive sight. The Avatar was levitating above the street, on top of a small whirlwind if the swirling debris beneath her was anything to go by. She and the firefighters worked in concert at the shouted instructions of the fire captain. The elemental master redirected the water from the hoses with impressive precision. It probably wouldn't be long before the fire was under control.

She scanned the crowd of onlookers to see if she could spot anyone suspicious. She spotted Mako in the crowd, presumably doing the same thing. Bolin had managed to work his way up to the safety cordon and was busy taking pictures. _There's a motivation you haven't thought of before_ , she thought. _Selling papers_. The unlikely thought of Bolin as a Sozin of Crime was enough to bring a smile to her face, despite the seriousness of the situation.

A chance look at the roof of the burning building took the smile from her face. Huddled in the center was a man. He sat on the roof, hands clasped over his head. Had he fled upstairs in panic and was now trapped? The firefighters couldn't know he was there. Even the Avatar was not high enough to see. The fire might be out soon, but she couldn't be sure it would be in time to save the man's life.

She took a few steps back from the edge of her own building, then took a running jump toward the burning tenement. The one story drop was plenty for her to clear the alleyway, and she took the landing in a roll. Cries from the street told her that her leap had not gone unnoticed by the crowd. Well, there was no way she could do this rescue in secret anyway.

She ran over to the man. "All right, citizen. On your feet. We're getting you out of here." She grabbed him by the shoulders, but he resisted her pull.

"Leave me be. It's all got to burn and me with it." He didn't look up at her.

Asami reached down, grasped the man by the chin and made him look at her. "Did you set the fire?"

"They took my job," he said, which probably amounted to a "Yes."

Asami took a deep breath. "OK, you listen to me. Right now I don't care how bad the world has treated you to make you want to die. And I don't care what wrong things you might have done. Burning is a really unpleasant way to go, and I'm damned if I'm going to leave you to it. If I have to knock you out to get you out of here, I'm not going to be gentle about it. Got it?" She considered letting an arc off from the shock glove for illustration, but the man's eyes went wide and he nodded without this extra bit of encouragement.

She led him to a point a few paces from the street-side edge of the roof. She took out her grapple and fired it toward the roof of the neighboring building. As she had hoped, it caught on the framework of the billboard that topped the structure. She gave a sharp tug to test the security of the anchor, then reeled in most of the slack on the line and clipped the safety lead to her belt. Crouching down, she coaxed the man into fireman's carry. She got to her feet with a grunt. Fortunately he wasn't an extremely big man.

"OK. I need you to close your eyes. And don't open them again until I tell you," she said.

"Why not?" he asked in a nervous tone of voice.

"Because if I do this right, we're swinging over to the front of the building next door, well clear of the flames. But I have no idea where we'll make contact. If it's a window, we're going to go right through it."

"Oh, Spirits," the man whimpered. As long as he didn't struggle, Asami didn't mind if he used much worse language.

"Eye's closed?" He gave another whimper, which would have to do. She grasped the line with her free hand. "Here we go," she said, and started for the edge of the building in her best run.

It was difficult to gather much speed, burdened as she was, but she managed a good push off from the parapet of the apartment building. There was a brief moment of free-fall as they arced out over the street. There was a brief flash of heat as they passed directly over the flames coming out of the front windows. Someone from the street screamed, and then the line went taut.

Asami had judged the angles correctly. The grapple's line was pulling far more to the side than back to the building. Their momentum carried them out over the street in a semi-circle, away from the burning building and over to its neighbor, swinging almost as far past the anchor point on the other side as where they had started. Luck was with them, and it was brick rather than glass that lay before them as the approached the façade. Asami raised her legs and flexed them as her boots made contact with the brick, bringing them to as gentle a halt as possible.

Asami realized that the man on her shoulders had started screaming sometime around when the line had been pulled tight. He didn't stop until she had walked them down to ground level, in careful bouncing steps along the building face, letting out more slack on the line gradually. When she eased him of her shoulders he collapsed to his hands and knees.

Cops and ambulance workers ran up to surround them. "I think this man might have something to confess," she said. "Although if you ask me, he needs help more than he needs prison."

She turned to go, when the man reached up and caught her arm. "Thank you," he said, so softly that she had to strain to hear over the ongoing commotion. She clasped his hand for a moment and gave him a nod.

"Hey wait a minute," one of the police officers called out. "You can't just leave."

Asami gave him a level stare. "You have peculiar ideas about how this works," she said. Turning away, she triggered the quick-retract setting on the grapple, and ran up the side of the building as the line reeled in.

* * *

 

Korra took off from the scene of the now extinguished fire. Her instinct agreed with the fire captain's judgment that the fire was well and truly dead.

"If you're interested," the captain had said to her, "you should come out to our practice site on the outskirts of the city. I know this isn't your job, and I don't expect you to come to our aid every time something catches fire. But I have some ideas I'm curious to try that would make use of some of your other abilities." She turned the offer over in her head. It felt good to have that sort of approval, from an actual city official, no less.

She spotted a dark clad figure running across the roof-tops, not many blocks from the fire. Korra was surprised to recognize it as the Ghost. The mystery woman's dramatic entrance and exit had been long enough ago, that Korra had expected her to be long gone. She flew past the lone figure, low enough to be spotted, then wheeled around and landed on the rooftop in the woman's path. The Ghost stopped, keeping her distance. Her stance was guarded but not hostile.

"Didn't expect to find you still in the neighborhood," Korra said. The Ghost didn't respond, didn't even move in fact. And of course, there was no way to read the woman's mood with her face concealed behind a black scarf and goggles. "You know, that rooftop rescue you pulled wasn't exactly the model of subtlety."

"Did you stop me to pick another fight?" The Ghost said.

"And, so much for you having a sense of humor," Korra muttered.

To Korra's surprise, the Ghost said, "Sorry. It's not fair to take my frustration out on you."

"Oh?" Korra prompted.

"The man on the roof, he set the fire. He lost his job and decided to burn down his home and himself with it. A copycat or just a man with a bad idea. The man the police have is just a hireling, so whoever's behind the other fires is still out there."

"I didn't even know the police had _anyone_ connected with the fires," Korra said.

The Ghost shrugged. "They're keeping it under wraps. The next person up the chain is dead, so their prisoner has nothing to give them. They're at a dead end, and they know it."

"About that," Korra said. "I've been hearing rumors. A lot of the owners of the buildings that burned apparently can't afford to rebuild. And someone in the city government is trying to leverage a big urban renewal project out of it. Far beyond just fixing the damage."

"Are you suggesting that the buildings were targeted with foreknowledge that the owners couldn't or wouldn't rebuild?"

"When you say it out loud, it sounds silly."

"Maybe, maybe not." The Ghost was starting to sound interested. "I haven't found another connection. I looked at some of the financials, but stopped when I ruled out an insurance fraud ring." The Ghost paused. A shift in her stance suggested she was no longer on her guard and was regarding Korra with curiosity more than anything else. "Why tell me?"

"Well..." Korra rubbed the back of her neck and glanced away. "You're the detective. I just hit things."

"You should broaden your ambitions. If you're going to be in this for the long haul." Korra felt her cheeks flush under her mask. "Thanks for bringing this to me," the Ghost continued. "I'll look into it."

"Yeah, well. You're welcome." Korra snapped her kite open. "I'll leave you to it, I guess." She launched herself into the air, and flew away as fast as the wind would carry her. She didn't look back at the Ghost.

"Idiot," she muttered to herself. "What were you expecting from that?" She didn't have an answer for her own question.

* * *

 

Asami was in the hidden sub-basement going through case files when Yin found her. The elderly woman raised an eyebrow and said "Really? Even tonight you're down here?"

Asami grinned. "I couldn't sleep. There was this woman at the party. She was amazing. We really hit it off, and I think she meant it when she said she was interested in getting together again. Actually, she was there as your Bolin's guest, if you'll believe it. She's not the one he's romantically interested in, though. I made sure of that. But I've actually met him now, so that was really nice. And Mako too, afterward. Well, met him without the mask on."

Yin's eyes had at first grown big with the revelations and then started to crinkle in amusement. "So of course, the logical response to all of this excitement is to fight crime."

Asami gave an embarrassed laugh. "Well, it's a distraction, and a timely one. Things got broken up earlier than I would have liked because there was another fire. I went there as the Ghost, and of course the Avatar was also on the scene. She approached me afterward with a tip. A possible connection between all of the fires. I'm going to need to do more digging, but what we've already got on hand seems to bear her theory out. She's got good instincts." Asami frowned. "I hope I didn't discourage her. I know how to talk to engineers and executives, but another crime-fighter? Everything I say comes out wrong."

Yin's cool response made her wince. "Did you think of just showing her that you trust her?"


	12. Doubt

With a snarl, Korra turned off her alarm clock and thumped it back down on the bedside table. She got up and put on a tee shirt and pants. Squinting, she shuffled out to the kitchen to fix coffee, grumbling "Stupid weekend shifts. Stupid morning." Once the percolator was going, she went out of her apartment to go downstairs and get her newspaper and milk.

The fire the night before had made the headlines of course. Not just one but both of the city's mystery women. How could they resist? She glowered at the front page for a moment. Then she tucked the paper under her arm. "Just get used to it already," she muttered to herself.

Back upstairs, Mr. Fang from across the hall opened his door and looked at her sourly as she approached. He glanced down at her bare feet and his lip curled disapprovingly. She gave him a completely insincere smile and went back into her apartment. With effort, she didn't slam the door.

She took a swig directly from the milk bottle before putting it in the icebox. She took out a piece of smoked fish for breakfast. A little gentle firebending heated it right up. "At least there are some uses for freaky elemental powers," she said.

Looking at the front page of the paper again, her eyes fell on the contents. The words "Society, page 20" caught her eye. Shrugging, she said "Why the hell not?" and flipped through.

The gala was covered prominently, taking up most of the page. Almost a full column of text and numerous photographs, but there was only one she cared about. It must have been the one Bolin had taken just before joining Korra and Asami. Asami was caught in profile. She was smiling warmly, eyes crinkling with laughter. Korra realized she was one of the few people in the city that knew the smile had been directed at her. " _Though largely absent from the social circuit in recent years, Asami Sato, recipient of the Mayor's Service Award, gets into the spirit of the evening,"_ the caption read.

Korra smiled as she carefully tore the picture and its caption out of the newspaper. She pinned the picture to the corkboard by the phone, next to the card with Asami's address. Whistling, she went to pour herself a cup of coffee.

* * *

 

After a medium hectic morning, dispatch had finally cleared Korra and Kuvira for a late lunch break.

"So how'd your mystery date go last night?" Korra asked.

Kuvira paused to take another bite of noodles. "Not bad. He's shy, poor dear, so I have to dial back my magnetic personality a bit."

"'Magnetic personality.' So that's what you call it?" Korra grinned.

"That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. You gonna finish those pickles?" She pointed with her chopsticks.

"You can have the radishes," Korra said. "Leave the sea prunes."

"Well, well, well," came a voice behind them. "What a happy coincidence." Korra looked up to see Wu approaching from the door of the diner. "Miss Korra, you are looking as radiant now as you did last night." He seated himself at the lunch counter next to her.

"Hello, Wu," she said. She gave him a crooked smile. His antics from the night before seemed more amusing than annoying with distance, but she still wasn't sure he was her idea of a good mealtime companion.

He gestured to Kuvira. "Will you introduce me to your charming companion?"

Kuvira looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. She took a sip from her tea before speaking. "Who's the stick?"

Korra suppressed a sigh. "Kuvira, this is Wu. He's the society reporter for the Dragon. We met at the event last night. Wu, this is Kuvira. As you probably guessed from the matching jackets, we work together. She's actually the one who introduced me to Bolin."

"Ah, on such small deeds is the future made," Wu said. Before either Korra or Kuvira could ask what he meant by that, the waitress came up to take Wu's order. "I'll have the steamed pork buns, my dear lady. And if they are only half as delicious as you are lovely, they'll be a feast fit for the Spirits." The waitress giggled. Korra exchanged a glance with Kuvira who rolled her eyes.

"I was kind of surprised you didn't join us after Bolin got done taking pictures," Korra said.

"Ah. Well, I know I don't seem like it, but I do actually have some sense of discretion," Wu said with a smile.

Korra looked at him blankly. "Discretion?"

"You know. Knowing when not to, ah, intrude." He waggled his eyebrows.

Korra sighed. "Wu, I really sincerely mean it when I say that there is nothing between me and Bolin."

Wu looked confused. "Well, I know that. I meant you and Miss Sato."

"Oh," Korra said. Then the full meaning of his remark hit her. "What?" she yelled. Kuvira made a choking noise.

Wu held up his hands in a calming gesture. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. That was just my impression. I'm sure I was mistaken."

"Well...," Kuvira said. Korra turned in her seat to face her. "I'm just saying, Dangerous, you did sound kind of smitten when you talked about this Sato lady today." Korra stared at her, and she shrugged.

"Argh." Korra turned back toward the counter and buried her head in her hands. "Look, she's an amazing woman."

"This is true," Wu said.

"Quiet you," Kuvira said to him. "Go on," she told Korra.

"What is there to say? OK, I find her attractive, but it's not like anything's going to happen there. She was just glad to find someone friendly to talk to. I mean, I think I've got a friend in her, and that's wild enough. Romance? She could have anyone." She looked at Wu and Kuvira, who stared back at her. "Why am I even telling you any of this?" She busied herself with her meal, trying to ignore the two people on either side of her. The waitress brought Wu's lunch, so for a time silence reigned.

"So is the attraction really one sided?" Kuvira said after a while.

"Yes," Korra said around a mouthful of food.

"Wasn't asking you. I was asking the Stick."

"Are you going to keep calling me that?" Wu asked.

"Yes," Kuvira said flatly. "Is that going to be a problem?"

He sighed. "Since you look like you could tie my spine in a knot, no, I suppose it isn't."

Kuvira smirked at him. "Good boy. Now spill."

"Well, it didn't look one sided to me," Wu said. "And I'm afraid some of my less honorable colleagues had similar thoughts."

Korra stared at him. "What?"

"Less honorable?" Kuvira asked.

"Gossip columnists," Wu said, looking like he smelled something unpleasant.

"Wait a minute here," Korra said.

"How is that different than what you do?" Kuvira said, ignoring her.

"Please," Wu said, gesturing to himself. "I am a society reporter. Almost everyone I write about wants me to. At worst, they don't care. Also, I work for an editor who expects me to print facts."

"Wu," Korra said, grasping the skinny man by the shirt, doing her best to keep her voice down, "are you telling me people are printing stories about Asami and me?"

Wu gave her a nervous smile. "In a word, yes."

"Which papers?" Kuvira asked. Korra glared at her.

"Well, I only spoke to Mei from _The Spirit_ and Chou from _The Spectator_. I tried to tell them I thought there was no story there," he added hurriedly. "But it might have backfired. I think they assumed I was trying to keep a scoop to myself."

"Be right back," Kuvira said. She got up from the lunch counter and exited the diner to approach a nearby newsstand. Korra buried her head in her hands.

The rustling of paper heralded Kuvira's return. "I didn't bother with _The Spirit_. They'll probably claim she's actually Princess Yue's ghost or was raised by Wolfbats."

"True, true," murmured Wu.

"I hate you both," Korra said into her hands.

" _The Spectator_ on the other hand," Kuvira continued, "has a lot of dirt on the whole shindig. Let's see. Lots of other people getting talked about, but... Ah, here we are. A nice picture of the two of you. 'Old Flame Rekindled?' is how the caption starts. 'Heiress and mystery guest,' yadda yadda, 'only have eyes for each other.' That's weird. They seem to think the two of you were at school together."

Korra started to beat her head on the countertop. "Of course, the wrong people would believe that. This is all my fault." She explained the prank to Kuvira and Wu.

"If the two of you came up with the scheme together," Wu said, "then it's really not just _your_ fault." Korra growled at him.

"Anyway," Kuvira added, "don't take it so serious. Your lady love will probably find the whole thing hilarious."

Korra stood up. "We'd better get back to work," she said. She laid down the money for her bill and a tip on the counter and strode to the door.

Behind her she said Kuvira say, "Thanks for the entertainment, Wu. See you around."

Back in the ambulance, Korra drove in silence. After the third she had mistimed shifting gears, filling the vehicle with a nasty grinding noise, Kuvira spoke. "I'm sorry for teasing you like that."

"That's OK," Korra mumbled.

Kuvira shrugged. "We both know that's not really true. You're pissed. I wanted you to relax, and I upset you more. And I'm sorry. But seriously, give the lady a chance."

Korra pulled over to the side of the road and stopped. She turned to look at Kuvira. "Asami Sato is one of the richest women in the city. I live in a two room cold-water flat. So, yes, I am upset that the papers are printing things that make me look like a deceitful manipulative social climber."

Kuvira looked away. "She's not going to think that of you."

Korra turned back to the wheel. "I accept your apology," she said as she pulled back into traffic, "but I really don't want to talk about this anymore."

Kuvira gave a sigh, but said "Sure thing, Dangerous. Whatever you say."

* * *

 

Korra dumped an armload of city maps on the desk in Pema's study as the older woman looked on. "I'm trying to work out a method for patrolling the city efficiently," she said. "Right now, Dragon Flats is the main concern. Crime tends to be worse there even when some nut isn't setting things on fire. I spent a little time in the library this evening after work, reviewing where the fires have been." She gestured at the top map, where she had drawn a series of X's. "They're kind of scattered all over, but I think the key might be to pay attention to the buildings that look like they need work or that have a lot of trash piled up outside. Something that looks like the owner has been economizing." She glanced up at Pema.  Her mentor smiled at her, brow quirked in bemusement.

"Korra, it all looks very impressive," Pema said, "but why are you showing this to me? For all that I've lived here longer, you already know the streets of this city better than I do."

Korra opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before speaking. "But surely, there's something you can tell me about whether I'm doing it right. Something in the archives from one of the earlier Avatars?"

Pema shrugged and fingered the map. "The thing of it is, before Aang most of the Avatars didn't really concern themselves with crime. They were acting on a larger scale."

Korra bit her lip. "Am I focusing too much on small issues?"

Pema shook her head. "Korra, that's not what I'm saying. The world changed a lot at the end of the Hundred Year War. And it's kept on changing, faster than any other time in history. There are more people living together in this city than lived in the Five Capitols combined before the war. You are protecting people from different threats than your predecessors did because today more people are threatened by crime than by war."

"OK, but Aang must have figured some of this stuff out."

Pema gave her a rueful smile. "As far as I know, he pretty much waited for people to cry for help. Fine for tactics, I suppose. If you want strategy, you're going to have to come up with it yourself. This," she said gesturing at the map, "looks like a good start to me."

Korra leaned against the desk and slumped. "I've got to take this seriously."

Pema laid a hand on her shoulder. "I never thought you were doing anything else."

Korra scowled. "Not everyone agrees with you."

"Does this have to do with the Ghost?" Pema asked. Korra shrugged. "Well, she has more experience than you. Give her a chance to share her wisdom. And if she won't do that, but will only criticize, then you don't need to care about what she thinks.

"You can't expect to master everything at once," Pema continued. "It took you three years of training to master the elements to the extent that you have, and that was with the help of a teacher. You've still got a long way to go, and you have learned to not let that bother you. I've seen your attitude toward mistakes greatly improve since you first walked into my life. Apply all of that to becoming a champion of justice. You're new. You're learning. You'll get it wrong sometimes."

"I get everything wrong, and I'm tired of it." Korra pounded her fist on the desk.

"Well, I think you know that isn't true," Pema said. "Also, I somehow get the feeling that we're not just talking about fighting crime anymore."

Korra looked away from her friend, embarrassed. "I met someone last night. She was pretty special. And I think I've already screwed up our friendship."

"Did you do something cruel to this person?"

Korra's head snapped up. "What? No! It's all a mistake. I didn't mean..."

Pema held up her hands. "Relax, Korra. I didn't think it was very likely in the first place. Mistakes can be mended. But you won't get anywhere if you don't take the action to mend them. Talk to your friend." Korra could feel the blush rise in her face. Pema sighed. "Korra, you've got to communicate with her."

"I have her address. I could write to her. Apologize."

Pema smiled. "There you go. Why don't you go home and take care of that. Put it in tomorrow's post. You'll feel better."

Korra managed a crooked smile, and gathered up her maps. Pema led her to the street door and gave her a hug. Walking home, Korra started composing the letter in her head. _Dear Asami..._


	13. Wheels in Motion

Mako was typing up his incident report on the most recent fire. There wasn't really much of interest. The man the Ghost had rescued from the roof had given a full confession in the presence of his lawyer. He had denied involvement in the previous fires, and the physical evidence suggested that this was the simple truth.

"Hey, Mako" Mako turned and saw Lu waving to him from near the door of the detective pool. A uniformed officer Mako didn't recognize stood next to him. "You almost done?"

"A few more minutes. Why?"

Lu walked over and leaned on Mako's desk. "We got ourselves a courier sent over by Mr. Yorru in the prosecutor's office. He's supposed to bring over a copy of everything we've got on the fires. Apparently that includes your report."

Mako raised his eyebrows. "Really? It looks pretty clear cut that this one's not related to the others."

Lu looked disgusted. "Apparently, the honorable prosecutor has decided that he'll judge that for himself. Everything means everything."

Mako got back to typing. "Miss Jian was already here, cutting a plea deal with the poor guy's defense attorney. She's not going to be thrilled on someone else horning in on her case."

"Oh, good. Maybe if Yorru ticks off someone from his own office, it'll get him off our backs." Lu took a sip from his coffee cup. "Hope you used two carbons in there. Gang has to retype a stack of witness interviews just for this little project."

Mako shook his head in annoyance. "Seems like the prosecutor's office would do better to wait until, oh I don't know, we had someone for them to prosecute?"

"Political ambition," Lu declared. "Bet you 20 Yuan we see Yorru's name in the next election."

"No bet," Mako said. "You got anything interesting from your end?"

Lu shrugged. "Not really. All our pigeons are keeping pretty tight lipped. Maybe they think that if they play it cool, that the Triple Threats will be in a more forgiving mood."

Mako snorted. "Think that'll happen?"

Lu actually shrugged again. "Dunno. Zolt's not really the forgiving sort. But word on the street is that Two Toed Ping's working his way up the ladder. He's a regular glad-hander. Might try to shore up his power base by getting some suckers grateful to him."

"He's also a manipulative little weasel, always looking at impressing people." Mako said. "If I were on the outs with Zolt, I wouldn't count on Ping as a knight in shining armor. In case he decides Zolt will be more impressed with him slitting throats." Mako pulled the sheets out of the typewriter and peeled off the bottom carbon copy and handed it to Lu. "Here. For all the good it will do anyone." He glanced at his watch. "I'd better file these and get going."

"Chasing down a lead hot shot?" Lu asked with a grin.

"Oh, yeah," Mako said deadpan. "I've got this source who can prove that all the major crimes of the past decade were done on the orders of city prosecutor. He's got this impressive summary of the evidence made with index cards and push pins and string."

"With the police doing all the legwork for this conspiracy, I'll bet," Lu said with a laugh.

"So he says. Between you and me, I think I'm guilty."

"We'll, you'd better make sure before you arrest yourself. You know how the Chief hates sloppy police work." Lu walked off with a wave.

Mako glanced around the squad room. Everyone was heads down in their own work. He peeled a second carbon off of the bottom and casually slipped it under his blotter pad. Not much for the Ghost there; she already knew most of it. Lu's gossip might be of more interest to her. He made a mental note to write it up for her later and got up to file the official copy of the report.

* * *

 

The city islands were an odd collection, Korra reflected as she flew over Yue Bay. The smallest ones were too rocky for people to do anything with, and had been left entirely to nature. But some of the bigger ones had been settled or at least built upon at one time or another. One held the local Coast Guard base; she'd actually visited there when she had first moved to Republic City and had been looking for a job. Another held a war memorial and museum. Tour boats went over several times a day during the week and hourly on weekends. The largest island held the ruins of a temple. No one ever went there, as far as she knew. There was nothing to stop them other than the inconvenience; they just ... didn't.

Korra's destination had originally been intended as a new housing development. The developers had assumed that if they built, the city would be obliged to provide a ferry service. The city had disagreed. The developers didn't truly understand their mistake until after they had already started building a number of homes. The project was abandoned, and eventually the island was seized by the city for non-payment of taxes. The city then discovered that no one else was willing to buy the island if they would just be making the same mistake. So in the end, the city gave the island, and more importantly the half constructed buildings on it, to the fire department to play with.

Right now, half a dozen fire fighters were clustered in front of the beginnings of a two story home. It even had a roof. Korra came to a landing several paces away from the group, and folded her kite shut. Fire Captain Ito walked over to her, hand outstretched. "I wasn't sure if you'd come," he said.

"Come on. A girl doesn't get an invitation like this every day," she said as she shook his hand.

Ito led her over to the other firefighters and performed introductions. They seemed a friendly bunch, although a bit more awed by her than she would have preferred. Then the fire captain went into his pitch. "So here's what I've been thinking. Your ability to control water has been very useful for us in getting those fires under control, but I wondered if some of your other abilities might be even more useful."

Korra nodded. "OK, shoot."

"Well, fire seems the obvious one to consider first."

Korra shook her head. "I'm afraid that's going to be a disappointment. I can create fire without needing proper fuel." She gestured a flame into existence, hovering over her open palm. "If I don't maintain it, it'll go out pretty promptly." The flame vanished. "But I'm not extinguishing it. I'm just not keeping it going. If I set something flammable alight, I can't use firebending to put it out."

The rest of the crew were getting interested in the conversation. "There were stories of the old Avatar." The woman who spoke had been introduced as Xiaolan. She was maybe five or ten years older than Korra, so she might remember some of those stories first hand from the time when Aang had still been alive. She hesitated, so Korra gave her an encouraging nod. "He couldn't just set fires, he could control the flames."

Korra nodded again. "I can do that too. And I might be able to do something to slow a fire's spread. Keep it hemmed in. But you'd still have to put it out."

"Could you move the flames from one place to another?" a young man named Jun asked.

Korra shrugged. "In a limited way. Fire's the hardest element to control. I can move it away, but if the material is still hot, it will probably reignite."

"We can keep that in mind if there's something we want to keep the fire away from, like a fuel oil tank," Ito said reflectively. "What about air? Fire needs it to burn. Can you just take the air away?"

"Oh, now that's an interesting thought," Korra said. She closed her eyes behind her mask as she tried to picture it. "Air will move in to fill any empty space. Usually, that's a good thing, but it works against us here. But maybe, if you kept it in motion, like a barrier around the fire. Keep fresh air from getting in?" She opened her eyes again and looked at the curious fire fighters. "It would be interesting to try."

There was a gleam in Ito's eye as he said to his crew, "Let's light it up."

The plan was that the fire fighters would be in reserve. Korra would let the fire get established and then try to put it out, or at least suppress it, with her airbending. Once she could feel that the fire was strong, she began. With firm gestures she pulled the air on the far side of the fire around to the left and toward her, while pushing the air on the near side to the right and away. She could feel the vortex grow and gain increasing integrity.

The tricky part was going to be closing the barrier off completely, so the fire would starve from lack of fresh air. The top and the bottom each had different problems. At the top, she had to try to make the air swirl tighter and tighter. At a certain point, it just wouldn't be able to spin tight and fast enough. There was always going to be a chimney at the center. That might not have been a problem if she had been able to seal the barrier of wind tight against the ground. But the ground wasn't completely level and the bottom gyre kept getting disrupted.

She could feel the heated air escaping out of the top opening, and fresh air being drawn in at the bottom. And tightening the bottom just made the air flowing in move faster. She sensed the impending disaster too late to prevent it.

"Whoa," Ito cried as the flames started to shoot out the top of her whirlwind. "Hoses on!"

Korra cursed and worked to undo the whirlwind. The flames subsided somewhat without the strong draft she had inadvertently created. She set to helping the fire fighters the way she was more used to

"Sorry, about that," she said when it was all over. "I guess a fire tornado isn't exactly what you had in mind." A chuckle ran through the group. "That was kind of disappointing."

Ito clapped her on the shoulder reassuringly. "It was worth a try, and just because you didn't make it work this time, doesn't mean you won't find a way. If you're interested in trying again another day." There was a supportive murmur from the rest of the fire fighters.

Korra felt a grin spread over her face, hidden by the cloth of her mask. She nodded. "You bet."

* * *

 

Asami was in her study going through the day's mail. Very little of import came to her home address these days. Business letters all went to the office. She flipped disinterestedly through the stack, pausing at a hand addressed envelope. Her breath caught as she read the name "Korra" on the return address. Dropping the rest of the mail, she picked up her letter opener and slit the envelope open.

_Dear Asami,_

_This is a little awkward. I had a wonderful time hanging out with you at the party last night. It was very kind of you to devote so much time to someone you had never met before. So it's kind of painful to learn that others have misinterpreted your kindness._

_I don't know if you have been made aware, but apparently the gossip pages have been claiming that we are linked romantically. Even worse they are assuming that we have been for some time. I think because of that prank I pulled, pretending to be your old schoolmate._

_I just want to apologize for any distress this has caused you. I'm sorry for anything I might have done accidentally to start these rumors. I value the friendship you have shown me, and I hope this has done nothing to jeopardize it._

_Very truly yours,_

_Korra_

Asami stared at the letter. She felt like she had a lead ball in her stomach.

" _I'm sorry for anything I might have done accidentally to start these rumors_."

"Like accidentally turning my head?" she said to herself. She folded the letter and laid it down on her desk. She reached up to rub her temples

"Is something amiss?" Yin stood in the doorway holding the household accounts book. She looked concerned.

Asami took a deep breath and puffed it out. She picked the letter up again and said, "It's from Korra, the woman I met at the gala. I didn't think I had much of a chance, but I didn't expect to have that confirmed so soon. At least she didn't go so far as to tell me to back off. Of course, that might just be because she never realized I was 'on.'"

Yin arched an eyebrow. "If she doesn't know, then how..." she began.

"She's seen the Gossips," Asami said. "Korra is the latest person they've decided to claim I'm involved with. Unusually perceptive of them. Most of the time they name someone I can't stand."

"Well, even a blind boar-q-pine gets an acorn sometimes," Yin said with a sniff.

"Anyway," Asami continued, "she's worried that I might take offense at the stories and blame her."

Yin pursed her lips. "Do you think she finds the idea offensive herself?"

"I hope not. I could live with 'just friends,' but not if she feels that way. She doesn't seem the type. I don't know." Asami ran a hand over her face and sighed.

Yin stepped around the desk and laid a hand sympathetically on Asami's shoulder. Asami managed a half-hearted smile. "So, what are you going to do?" asked the elderly woman.

"Write back, I guess. Try to reassure her." She set the letter down again. "Later. When I have the faintest idea what to say." She stood and started walking to the door.

"Are you going out tonight?" Yin asked her hesitantly.

"I'd already planned on it. And right now, I think it might be ... relaxing."

Yin sighed. "Don't break anybody."

* * *

 

Two Toed Ping stepped out of the bar nodding to Ox who held the door for him. The big man wasn't much of a conversationalist, but that wasn't the point. Ping had spent the night showing off that he was now a man who rated his own flunky. He'd been offered free drinks everywhere he'd gone. It had been gratifying turning all of them down and tipping generously in the bargain. It made everyone that much more nervous, seeing that he wasn't some sort of small fry that could be bought off with a couple of comps.

"One more stop, I think," he said, stepping out into the street.

"Yes, Mr. Ping," Ox said, following him.

"Respect is a wonderful thing, Ox." Ping waved a genial hand in the air. "I'll give you a tip. Work hard, play it straight, and above all deal in respect. That's how you get to the top in this business."

Instead of an answer, there was a flash of light and a loud crackling noise behind him, followed by a gurgling noise from Ox. Ping whirled around to see the big man toppling to the ground. The Ghost stood behind him, her damn shock glove still glowing from the zap she'd given Ox. The overcoat she usually wore was gripped in her other hand, and before Ping could react, she had whipped it over his head. She grasped him tightly, using the coat to pin his arms. Then there was a whooshing sound near his ear followed by a clatter far overhead. Then he felt himself jerked upward off of his feet.

He recognized the cry that filled his ears as his own. They jerked to a stop and he was hauled up and dumped on a gravel covered surface. The coat was pulled back off his head. He gasped for breath as he took stock of his position. He realized that he was on a rooftop. He looked up to see the figure of the Ghost towering over him. She had already donned her coat and was storing her grapple gun in it. "Two Toed Ping," she said, looking down at him.

He cursed and made a grab for his gun. To his dismay his hand closed on an empty holster. The Ghost held up his piece. "Looking for this?" She made a show of removing the bullets before tossing it back to him.

"How did you...?" he began.

She folded her arms. "Please," she said, shaking her head. "I left the flick knife in your boot. Too much trouble. Go for it, and this chat will become a lot less cozy."

Ping holstered the empty gun, and stood cautiously. The Ghost made no move to stop him. He brushed his clothes down, saying "Gosh, and you've been treating me so swell up to now." He finished straightening his clothes and said, "C'mon. What is this? I ain't done nothing."

The Ghost looked at him a long moment before saying. "Not tonight, perhaps."

"What do you want, Spooky? Whatever it was, I wasn't there, and I got guys that will swear to it."

"The Triple Threats have been having a bad time of it recently," she said.

"Your concern is touching."

The Ghost continued, as if he hadn't spoken. "It hasn't been so bad for you, though, now has it? I hear you've moved up in the world since Silk Sozan got killed. Something of a pattern for you. Viper, Shady Shin, Big Ganto. Every time Zolt loses a major soldier, it's your star that rises."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked hotly. The Ghost just stood looking at him. Controlling himself, he shrugged. "OK. If I have become a more trusted partner in Mr. Zolt's totally legitimate business concerns, it's because I am reliable. Ganto was a screwup. Shin lost his nerve and quit. And whatever Viper was up to that got him killed, I bet you know a lot better than me." He drew himself up straighter and adjusted his tie. "If you have nothing better to do that cast aspersions on my character, I will ask you not to waste my time."

"That was an impressive imitation of growing a spine," she answered. "However, your theatrics are wasting _my_ time. And I'm your only way off of this roof."

He threw up his hands. "So, what's this about, already?"

"Let's talk about Silk Sozan."

Ping shook his head. "We didn't croak him, and you know it."

"On account of the fact that the police didn't fish him out of the bay on piece at a time. Yes, I'd gathered that much."

"We don't know who did croak him, either."

The Ghost held a finger up. "Which means, oddly enough, our interests overlap. I have reason to believe the police don't have all of Sozan's pawns. I don't really care about your internal staffing problems. I just want the man who makes the bombs. And since he's been burning the property of people who have paid you good protection money, he's not very good for your business." Ping shrugged, wondering where this was going. The Ghost took an envelope out of her pocket. "Find me the man who picked up the hardware, and send him to this address in two night's time. I'll leave it to your imagination what tale to tell him. I'll take care of the rest."

"Assuming you're right, if we can find this guy," Ping scoffed, "what do we need you for? We can just make him tell us where to find the mad bomber, and then we take care of the joker ourselves."

"Well, for one thing, our bomber isn't stupid, and will have moved base already. You won't have the first clue what to do next. I will."

"We're still not getting a lot of this," Ping said.

In an instant, the Ghost moved in close and grabbed him by the lapels. "You will have my attention focused elsewhere," she said quietly, pulling him up on his tiptoes so his face was inches from hers. "If you don't think that's a gift, I'll be happy to demonstrate otherwise."

"All right! Geez, don't get sore." His voice squeaked as he said it, and he ground his teeth at the sound.

She stuffed the envelope in his jacket pocket. "I'm glad we understand each other." She stepped back again.

"How do you know Zolt will go along with this?" he said. It sounded like a whine to his ears.

"Play it straight and deal in respect with him," she said sardonically. "I'm sure it will all work out fine."

"Oh yeah," he said, matching her sarcastic tone. "Because you and me taking tea together is just going to look so good for me."

"Well, if that's all you're worried about," she said. She pulled something from her coat and hurled it at his feet. It burst, releasing a cloud of vapor. Ping coughed and everything went black.

The next thing he was aware of was Ox's voice coming from a great distance saying "Are you all right, Mr. Ping?" Ping shook his head and opened his eyes. Ox was standing in front of him looking concerned. In front and beneath him. Ping gradually realized that he was tied to the railing of the bottom flight of a fire escape.

"Ox, would you mind getting me loose from this?" he said, keeping his tone casual. He didn't call the big man an idiot, as much as he wanted to. A smart man dealt in respect with everyone, above and below him. Even those on the opposite side, if they were smart enough to return the gesture. He bared his teeth. He owed the Ghost a lesson in respect after tonight.

* * *

 

The next day was something of a struggle for Asami. Work needed to progress as normal, but Asami found herself by turns distracted and bad tempered. Some masochistic streak had prompted her to bring Korra's letter along with her, despite still having no idea how to answer it without sounding disappointed and bitter. Somehow, she managed to make it through most of the day in a somewhat productive manner.

The intercom interrupted Asami as she inspected the latest designs for aircraft motors. "Yes, Miss Li?" she said into the speaker.

" _Councilman Tarrlok here to see you_ ," her assistant said.

Asami suppressed a sigh. "Show him in, please." She set the design documents aside.

Tarrlok entered the office, smiling broadly. Over his shoulder, Asami got a glimpse of Miss Li before she shut the office door. Her expression was entirely polite and proper, but seemed to have a hint of stiffness about it that wasn't usually there. Or maybe Asami was just projecting her own dislike of the man. She summoned a polite smile of her own and gestured Tarrlok to a chair.

"You are a difficult woman to get hold of, Miss Sato," Tarrlok said. He didn't wag his finger at her, but from his tone of voice he might as well have.

"And you are extremely persistent," she responded. _And uninvited_ , she thought to herself. "What can I do for you, Councilman?"

"I wanted to speak with you about your company's proposal for the Dragon Flats restoration project."

"Isn't this a bit improper? The proposals and bids were submitted sealed for initial evaluation."

"Oh, I'm not on the planning committee. Think of me as more of a concerned citizen in this. Instead of merely replacing the damaged property, how would you go about redesigning the district from the ground up?"

Asami raised her eyebrows. "It's an interesting challenge. But I'm a bit too busy to devote time to hypothetical projects."

"What if it weren't hypothetical?" Tarrlok steepled his fingers and looked at her over them.

She shook her head. "You've lost me, Councilman. The damage done by this mad arsonist has been terrible, but most of the borough is still standing. How can rebuilding it from the ground up be anything but hypothetical?"

"You and I both know that Future Industries is almost certain to get the contract."

"Flattering, but I make it a policy to not count on these things until the signatures are on the paper."

Tarrlok waved this aside. "The planning committee is by nature cautious and conservative. But there are good people on it. People who will act for the best interests of the city, if guided by someone with vision. Now, if upon getting the contract, you were to file an addendum for something more... comprehensive, I feel confident that they would recognize the benefits to be had."

Asami frowned. "Those addenda are intended to cover unanticipated problems, like discovering a leaky water main in the process of repairing a street."

Tarrlok shrugged. "I believe you will find that there is nothing in the regulations against filing one prospectively."

"Well," Asami said. "That is certainly a breathtaking proposal, Councilman. Wouldn't that displace a lot of people?"

"A temporary inconvenience. A small price to pay for building the city of tomorrow."

"Yes, well, it's a price neither you nor I would be paying. This has been an interesting discussion, but as I said, I don't have time for hypotheticals. If there's nothing else you wish to discuss?" She rose from her desk.

Tarrlok stood as well, sighing. "I had hoped for a more sympathetic hearing. Your father would have recognized the opportunity."

Asami arched an eyebrow at him. "That's not the argument in your favor that you seem to think," she said coldly. "This is not his company anymore, and I don't make decisions based on what would win his approval."

"No, I can see whose approval you're courting," Tarrlok said, a sneer crossing his face.

Asami paused with her hand on the knob of the office door. "What on earth are you talking about?"

"The young... _lady_ you seemed so taken with the other night raised nearly identical objections when I spoke with her on this subject. I'm sure the precious little social climber will be thrilled to hear of your decision. Personally, I find it sad to find your judgment clouded thus."

She stared at him for a moment. Then she opened the door. "Good day to you, Councilman." Shrugging, he walked out without another word. She closed the door after him and bared her teeth in a grin. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy bringing you down, Tarrlok," she whispered to herself.

Her hand strayed to her pocket. Korra's letter crinkled under her touch. "To hell with what people like him think," she said. She pulled on her jacket and walked out of her office. "Miss Li, is there anything on my calendar for the rest of the day?"

Her assistant looked up in surprise. "No, Miss Sato."

"Good. Then you won't have to make any cancellations. I have a personal matter to attend to. I will be gone for the rest of the day." She walked out, leaving her secretary staring after, stunned.

* * *

 

Korra exited the hospital in Kuvira's company at the end of shift. On the street near the staff entrance was parked a familiar looking black and red roadster. Asami Sato paced the sidewalk nearby. "Wait there a minute," Korra said to Kuvira. "I've got someone I need to say 'Hi' to." Kuvira followed Korra's gaze and raised her eyebrows. Thankfully, she refrained from making any comments and just gave Korra a nod.

Asami looked up at Korra's approach and gave her a nervous smile. Korra returned the smile warmly. "Hi, Asami. This is a surprise. What brings..."

Her question was cut off as Asami burst out with a torrent of words. "Hi. You told me where you work and I thought I'd stop by and see you. I hope that doesn't seem pushy." A worried look crossed her face. "Or creepy. I could have written. I've got your address from the letter you wrote. But that felt like it was too much in slow motion. If I'd written back right away, that would have been different, but it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to say. And I couldn't call because I don't know your number. You didn't sign your last name and I never asked, so I couldn't look you up. I suppose there are ways to find out a phone number just from the address, but that seems even creepier. And as for showing up on your doorstep unannounced..."

Korra covered her mouth to hide the smile that was tugging at the corners. She suspected that Asami Sato flustered was a rare sight to be treasured. Asami seemed to misinterpret the gesture, because when she resumed speaking she sounded increasingly dismayed. "I definitely should have written. I think maybe I'd better..."

"Tusenna," Korra said.

That brought Asami up short. Confusion replaced worry on her face. "What?"

"Tusenna. That's the name you'll find me under in the directory," Korra answered. "It means 'Senna's daughter' more or less. We don't really use family names back home. Of course, I'm also happy to give you my phone number as well, so you don't have to look it up. And while getting a letter from you would be lovely, you are already here, so I hope you won't keep me in suspense about what you wanted to say."

Asami smiled and ducked her head at that. "Right. Fair enough." She bit her lip and brushed a strand of hair away from her face. "Well, first is was sweet of you to worry about what the gossip pages were saying, but you didn't need to. In fact, I feel a little bad about not warning you. I'm so used to people telling tales and making things up, that I hardly notice it anymore. But it must have been a nasty shock for you."

Asami had kept shifting her weight from foot to foot as she spoke, and she wouldn't hold Korra's eye for long, although she kept glancing up. She took a deep breath, stopped fidgeting, and met Korra's gaze steadily. "Even after realizing how new this is to you, I didn't really understand how bad it might be for you. What some people might assume about your motives. It never even occurred to me that people might think you were trying to take advantage of me. Until I had a very unpleasant person spell it out for me." She grimaced.

"Asami," Korra said, and trailed off, not knowing how to continue. She shook her head, uncertain how to put the other woman at ease.

Perhaps she succeeded anyway, because Asami continued in a stronger voice. "That's the only part that really bothers me. That just because I'm rich and you're not, that some people are accusing you of being some sort of gold-digger. So, I'm sorry you've been subjected to that. I wish I'd thought of it, so I could have protected you from it. Somehow. The rest of it, I don't care about. I don't care if people think we're a couple. Honestly," she stopped and took a deep breath. "Honestly, I wouldn't mind if it was true."

Korra had started nodding encouragingly as Asami had delivered her apology. At the last remark she stopped nodding and her jaw dropped slightly. "Oh," she said. She felt the heat of a flush rise in her face. "Oh, I see." Asami began to look nervous again and started to pull back. On impulse, Korra reached out and grasped the other woman's hand, refusing to let go. She felt the corners of her mouth tug upward into a grin. "Actually, I wouldn't mind either." She was rewarded by seeing Asami's eyes go wide and a grin matching her own spread across the woman's face.

"We don't really know each other. Not after just one night." Asami said. "I'd kind of like to do something about that."

"I think that sounds like a great idea."

"Would you like to start tonight?" Asami said. "I mean, we could get dinner if you don't have any plans."

"Nothing I can't change." Korra turned to where Kuvira waited. Her partner was leaning against a lamppost out of earshot. Her half pleased, half sardonic smile suggested she had no trouble figuring out their conversation just by watching. "I won't be at the gym, tonight. I'll see you in the morning," Korra called to her.

Kuvira gave her lazy wave that was halfway to a salute. "Have a good night then," she called back. She turned her gaze toward Asami and said "You'd better treat her right, Fancy Pants." She then turned and walked away. Korra clapped a hand over her face.

Fortunately, when she turned back, Asami looked more amused than anything else. "That was Kuvira," Korra explained. "She's kind of a self-appointed big sister to, well, everyone. Don't worry. Giving goofy nicknames is how she makes friends."

"It's good to have friends who watch out for you," Asami said. "I'll do my best to not let her down." She gestured Korra toward her car, and opened the passenger door for her. "Where would you like to go to eat?"

* * *

 

"Here we are," Asami said, pulling the roadster to the side of the road in front of Korra's apartment building. It was well after dark. The hours since she had met Korra outside the hospital had flown by pleasantly, but too fast.

"Next time," Korra said with a grin, "you pick the restaurant and I treat you."

"Sounds lovely," Asami said, smiling back.

"Tomorrow?"

"Night after OK? I'm afraid I've got business appointments late."

Korra nodded. "It's a date." Korra ducked her head and said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Making the first move," Korra said. "Even if I'd let myself believe you were interested, I wouldn't have had the nerve." She gave Asami a crooked smile and then leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. Before Asami could react, Korra had hopped out of the car. She looked back and Asami blew her a kiss. With a grin she mimed catching it and clutched it to her heart. Then she was gone inside her building.

Asami shook her head, smiling, and put the car in gear. Things were looking up at last.

* * *

 

Ping lounged in a chair in Zolt's office and watched Hamura standing in front of the boss's desk. The kid was trying to look relaxed, but Ping could see the sweat beading on his forehead. Zolt spoke first. "Ping tells me you've been a naughty boy." He sounded utterly bored, a touch Ping admired.

Hamura might have been stupid, but he knew enough not to be fooled. He wrung his hands nervously and swallowed. "Mr. Zolt," he began.

"I hope you're not going to lie to me, Hamura," Zolt said, not changing his tone.

"No, sir," Hamura said, his voice almost a whisper.

"Speak up, son."

"No, sir," Hamura repeated louder. "I won't lie to you."

Zolt nodded without bothering to look at the kid. "You accepted a side job from Mr. Sozan."

Hamura let out a little sigh before saying "Yes, sir."

"Did you know he had you working off the books?"

"Not at first, sir."

Zolt raised his head and looked Hamura in the eye. "But when you found out, you didn't tell me."

Hamura looked miserable, but he was good as his word and kept answering. "No, sir. I didn't."

Zolt gestured to Ping. Ping gave the kid a friendly smile and sat forward. "You picked up the hardware for this little job, yes?" Hamura nodded. "So you've seen the place where the fire bombs were made," Ping continued.

Hamura seemed to sense a way out, because he sounded almost eager as he said, "Yes, sir. It was at..."

"We don't really care," Ping said. "Mr. Firebug will be long gone by now. We're not damn detectives. But we've got a little job for you." He took the Ghost's envelope from his pocket and tossed it on the table. "Tomorrow night, you go to this address. A certain masked menace will be waiting for you there."

Hamura picked up the envelope, glancing back and forth from Ping to Zolt. "I don't understand."

"The Ghost thinks she can manipulate us into doing her leg work. She's expecting you to give up Sozan's bomber friend. What you'll really do is send her to the warehouse at Chuang and Waters. Where we'll be waiting. Pull this off, and you get a clean slate with us."

The kid nodded earnestly. "I understand. I won't let you down."

"Don't give it up too quickly," Ping advised him. "Play it tough, like you want to keep mum. You got to make it look good, even if you have to take some lumps." Hamura paled a little at that, but nodded again.

"You can leave us now, Hamura," Zolt said. After the kid had left, he turned to Ping. "You've got ambition, Ping. I admire that. But you'd better be sure about this plan of yours."

"I promise you," Ping said. "After tomorrow night, the Ghost won't be bothering us anymore."


	14. Ambush

Korra stepped hesitantly into the outer office on the upper floor of the Future Industries tower, clutching the bouquet of flowers. The secretary at the desk looked up and raised her eyebrows. She looked neither welcoming nor unfriendly. Just curious. "They told me in the lobby I could come up here," she said. "This is Asami Sato's office, right?" _Because the name on the door isn't enough of a clue_ , she thought to herself. _Idiot_.

However, the secretary only smiled and said, "Yes it is. Is that a delivery for Miss Sato?"

"Delivery. Yes, that's right." Korra thrust the bouquet forward. "These are for her. You can give them to her, right? When she has a moment." The secretary took the bouquet, her eyes widening slightly and her smile gaining a hint of amusement. "There's a card," Korra added, digging into her pocket. She handed the little envelope over. "That's all."

"I'll be sure that she gets them," the secretary said. As Korra turned to go, the woman continued, "Wait. I'm certain Miss Sato would wish you to have a tip."

Korra blinked. "Oh. Actually, no I don't think she would. I mean, they're from me. The flowers. I'm not delivering them for someone else."

The woman's smile dropped for just a moment. It was so brief that Korra almost thought it her imagination. "Of course. You must be Korra."

Korra smiled. "Yep. That's me." She held out her hand.

The woman hesitated before accepting her handshake. Like the lost smile, the hesitation was over in a moment. "Li. Ping Li." Her smile was perfectly pleasant now. "Did you wish to see Miss Sato?"

Korra pulled her hand back from the handshake. After hesitating to take her hand, Miss Li seemed equally reluctant to let her go. Korra shook her head. "No, really. I know she's very busy. I just thought the flowers might be a nice surprise. I don't want to interrupt anything."

"Well, I'm sure she'll be very pleased. It was very thoughtful of you."

"Yeah, thanks." Korra kept her smile bright as she stepped back toward the door. "I'll probably see you around."

"Have a nice day," Miss Li said.

Once out of the woman's sight, Korra shook her head. "What was that all about?"

* * *

 

The crime lab looked almost the same as it ever did, with the exception of a bouquet of flowers that had been placed in a flask looted from the glassware for the chemical bench. Yin looked from the flowers to Asami. She was equipping herself for the night's activities, but whistling the tune to a sentimental love song from a few years ago.

"I always thought this room needed brightening up." Yin touched one of the blossoms at its base. "We have some rather nice vases upstairs that might suit them better, but one shouldn't quibble."

"Korra brought them round to the office today," Asami said, smiling as she loaded a collection of gas and flash bombs into the lining of her coat.

There was a card lying on the table. "'Don't work too hard.' Well, she's certainly got your number."

"Well, I promise that I won't be working at all when I go out with her again tomorrow night."

"I should sincerely hope not." Yin touched the flowers again. "Perhaps you should take one for your buttonhole tonight."

Asami chuckled. "Tempting, but it's better that I stay in character."

"I don't know," Yin said. "I rather like the way you've broken character over the past few days. Normal life suits you."

"It's got it's attractions." Asami checked the shock glove. "But if I'm going to be around to enjoy it, I've got to keep focused when I'm on business."

"I suppose so." Yin fiddled with the tools on the work bench.

"Will you be up for manning the radio? It might be a late night." Asami started donning the last pieces of the Ghost disguise.

Yin mustered up a smile. "Don't mind me. Just promise me you'll keep yourself safe."

Asami flashed her a grin. "Don't I always?" She pulled the scarf up over her mouth and climbed in the sedan.

"You have so far," Yin said quietly as the woman drove out through the hidden tunnel. She drummed her fingers on the workbench and glanced at the flowers again. "Sometimes this job is harder than motherhood."

* * *

 

Hamura walked past the address Ping had given him for the third time. What the hell was he supposed to be doing, breaking into an out of business pawn shop? According to Mr. Ping, the Ghost was expecting him. But he wasn't supposed to let on that he knew that she was expecting him. It was enough to make his head hurt. Of course, his head would probably be hurting for real by the end of the night. He shivered.

He'd never had a run in with the Ghost, but there were always stories. So maybe he didn't believe the really wild ones. Like the one that said she was an actual ghost of a woman who'd been caught in the crossfire of a turf battle. She didn't need to be magic or a spirit or anything. Hamura knew guys who could wipe the floor with him but who didn't want to go toe-to-toe with her a second time.

He'd have to go into the shop soon. He had his orders, and following them was the only thing that would keep Mr. Ping from having him killed. The Ghost wouldn't kill him. Probably.

He went around the block to the back alley. Everything might be closed for the night, at least the stuff that wasn't closed permanent, but it'd still be pretty stupid to break in through the front. He made sure he was at the right door, looked up and down the alley, and pulled the jimmy out of his pocket. The lock on the back door wasn't much.

The shop had the smell of dust and stale air. He pulled the door shut behind him and turned on his flashlight. The back room was empty except for some shelves that no one had thought worth moving when the old business went belly up. There wasn't anyone waiting for him. There was dust on the floor, but not enough to see tracks in.

There were three doors besides the one he'd come through. One was probably the door to the front room. He decided to leave it for later. The next door turned out to be the water closet. It didn't smell too bad in there, but he still didn't linger. The last was a small interior room. He guessed it had been an office, although with all the furniture removed, it was hard to tell. He looked glumly at a hole in the wall that probably showed where a safe had been installed and then later pulled out. His story for why he was here in the first place, looking for some hidden cash box that had been left behind, would sound pretty thin if the Ghost saw this.

He wondered how long he'd have to wait before she showed up. It wouldn't do to to look like he'd been waiting, but how much time could he spend searching an empty space? He walked to the door to the front. Just before opening it, he switched off the flashlight. He'd seen earlier that the front windows were covered with paper. A light on the inside would be obvious to anyone on the street.

He stepped into the front room and stopped a few paces from the doorway. He could barely make out the old shelves and display cabinets in the light that filtered in from the street. It would take a moment for his eyes to adjust. Behind him, the door slammed shut. He whirled round. Instinctively, he took a step backward from the dark figure that loomed before him and bumped into one of the cabinets.

"Hello," the Ghost said to him. "Let's talk."

* * *

 

Asami drove the sedan down a darkened street in the industrial district. "So what will we find at this warehouse?"

The young gangster shifted in the passenger seat. The handcuffs on his wrists clinked. "It was mostly empty." He spoke softly, so Asami had to strain to hear him over the car's engine. "There was this workbench set up in one corner. I guess that's where he made them. There were a few crates that I guess had parts in them. I never looked in them. He didn't really want me to hang around. Just gave me the package to hand on to Silk."

"Tell me about the man."

He shrugged. "He was just this old man. White hair, beard. Kinda prissy."

"Would you recognize him if you saw again."

"I guess so." He didn't sound very happy as he said it.

"We're almost there," Asami said as she turned a corner. She glanced at her passenger.  "What's your name, son?" He wasn't much younger than her, but he didn't need to know that.

"Hamura," he said, swallowing.

"Well, Hamura, you're not in a very enviable position. But play straight with me, and I can get you protection."

"I gave you the address you wanted. Why'd you have to drag me with you?"

"You're a valuable witness. I don't expect anyone to still be at this bomb factory of yours, so I'll need your eyes to tell me what's changed."

Asami turned into the alley next to their goal and pulled the car to a stop, and turned to face Hamura. "I'm going to go in to scout around. You'll be safe here in the car." She realized he wasn't looking at her but stared out the windshield, a sick expression on his face. She turned to follow his gaze.

Down the alley, Two-Toed Ping and a number of goons had stepped out into the open and were training guns on the car. She shook her head. "I expected the possibility of a double cross, but I thought if it was going to happen, it would be at the rendezvous. Live and learn. Congratulations, young man. You're a very good liar."

Hamura shifted in the passenger seat. Asami glanced at him. His eyes were wide and sweat stood out on his brow. He reached for the door handle. "Sit tight," she said. "Don't be a fool."

She grabbed Hamura's arm, but it was awkward and he managed to pull away from her. He got the passenger door open and pulled himself out of the car, despite the handcuffs. He stumbled slightly on the pavement. On gaining his balance, he raised up his cuffed hands and shouted "Don't shoot! It's me, Hamura!"

Asami heard Ping's voice call out from down the alley. "Light 'em up."

Cursing, she stepped on the gas, pulling forward quickly, before swinging the car cross wise in the alley, in an attempt to give him cover. The bullets started flying before she could complete the maneuver. Some of the rounds cratered in the glass of the windshield, but the bullet proofing held up under the punishment, as did the armor on the body. The noise of the impacts was deafening.

She looked out the still open passenger door. She couldn't see Hamura anymore. She killed the engine and crawled out of the driver's seat. His body lay sprawled on the pavement. He'd taken at least half a dozen rounds. Either she hadn't been fast enough or he hadn't ducked in time. It hardly mattered at this point.

"Damn it," she muttered, clambering out of the passenger door. There was a side door to the building on the left hand side of the alley a short distance away. It would have to do.

"You hit the wrong target, Ping," she called out. "That was sloppy." She pulled a smoke bomb out of the inner pocket of her coat and lobbed it in the direction of the gunmen. The sound of it exploding was shortly followed by gasping and wheezing. She ran low toward the door. Locked.

"After her, you idiots." Ping's voice dissolved into a coughing fit after the command.

Asami pulled out a small explosive charge and attached it to the lock. She touched off the fuse and turned her face away. The report was muffled, most of the charge's energy being directed inward. It still drew attention of the triad soldiers. She heard shouts and approaching footsteps.

She stood up and yanked on the door, the damaged latch giving way. She dove through. She heard the gunshot in what seemed like the same instant she felt a hot pain in her left arm. But then she was in the building, safe in the dark. In her element.

* * *

 

Ping spat on the pavement. "She thinks she's so smart, but she's trapped herself in there. Let's go finish it off, boys." The men looked among themselves. None of them stepped forwards, and he could hear muttering. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

"We shouldn't have iced Hamura," one of them said. The rest wouldn't meet Ping's eye, but he saw some nodding.

"You listen to me." He gestured with his gun toward the dead gangster. "Hamura broke the rules. This was his second chance, and he screwed it up. He would have died a lot slower and nastier if the Boss hadn't given him this chance. You want to complain to Zolt about my call?" Even the guy who spoke up looked away. "That's good. Now get it together, you mooks. Let's finish the job."

He stepped into the building. It was even darker than the alley way. As his men crowded in behind him, he felt along the wall by the door for a light switch.

Laughter rang out of the darkness. "Oh, Ping," came the Ghost's voice. "Only four helpers? You don't think very much of me."

"How did she know how many of us there are?" one of them whispered.

Still feeling along the wall, Ping said, "She could see us in the alley and when we came through the door, moron." At last his hand closed on a switch. "You won't be laughing," he yelled, "when you don't have the dark to hide in." He flipped the switch.

Lights high overhead began to glow. He had enough time to gain the impression of a large crate-filled space, when the bulbs exploded in a shower of sparks. His men yelled out in surprise. Spots danced before his eyes in the renewed darkness. A long chuckle echoed through the space.

"Spirit damned crazy bitch," he said. "Fine, we'll play it your way."

* * *

 

Korra was flying her patrol near the boundary where the tenements of Dragon Flats gave way to the industrial district when she heard the gunfire. She landed on a rooftop and listened. She only had a general sense of the direction it had come from. She wasn't sure whether to wish for more or not. If she heard something, she'd be able to narrow down her search. It also meant that someone else might be getting shot.

Time seemed to stretch out. _Maybe I should give up and just start searching_ , she thought. Then more shots rang out, and she snapped her kite open and was aloft, following the bearing to the sound. Each time she passed over a street or alley she paused to circle low, looking for any signs of the disturbance. At the third alley, she spotted a black car parked diagonally, blocking most of the alley. She cursed as she came in to a landing. Next to the car was a body.

He had been young, maybe not even out of his teens. She felt for a pulse without much hope. Too many holes in important places for there to be any real chance of him being alive. She frowned upon seeing the handcuffs on his wrists. "Someone wanted you very dead. I'm sorry I couldn't stop this, but I'll do my best to make them answer for it."

She turned her attention to the car. The young man hadn't driven it with those handcuffs, and honestly it looked too flash for the sort of person he seemed to have been. Was it the killer's? Then why was it still here? She walked around to the side opposite where the body lay. _That is a lot of bullet holes_. She touched one of them and pursed her lips. She started checking others. None of them had punctured the body, just dented it and messed up the paint job. She didn't know a lot about how good a car was at stopping bullets, but she was pretty sure that wasn't normal.

So where was the driver and where was the gunman? She glanced back at the bullet holes. _Gunmen_ , she corrected herself. That's why they sounded the way they did. A lot of bullets fired at once, not some strange echo. Echo... _I'm an idiot_. She took a deep breath and stomped hard on the pavement, and felt the echoes that came back. She turned her gaze to the building beside her. One person alone on the far side and then nearer the door a group of several others, it was hard to tell how many. She'd be prepared to bet that the group was her gunmen. The other was probably being hunted. _Save first, figure out if they deserve it later_. Bursting in glowing and shooting fire and ice was probably a good way to get shot herself and save no one. It was time for some subtlety. She rode a gust of wind to the rooftops and looked for a way in.

* * *

 

The night vision settings on her goggles let her see the gangsters clustered near the doorway. One of them was gesturing dramatically. Ping was having a hard time encouraging his men to commit to the assault. A little bravado and a little quick sabotage of the fuse box had bought her some time. She tightened the belt from her overcoat on the very crude pressure bandage she had put over the bullet wound, wincing as she did so. Her meditation training kept some of the pain at bay. Adrenaline was probably helping too.

She flexed the fingers on her left hand. Not tingly. Tingly, she recalled, was bad. She put the hand in the pocket of her coat, to try to take some of the weight of the arm. Fighting one-armed wouldn't be easy. If she kept the stress on the injury to a minimum, maybe she'd be able to get some use from the arm when she needed it.

Put like that, it sounded a forlorn hope. Well, she'd always relied more on being smart than on being tough.

The Triple Threats were finally on the move. One was stationed by the door. The others had split into two pairs and were moving slowly through the warehouse. She turned on the directional speaker for her throat microphone. She started to chuckle. She sent the sound bouncing around the walls of the warehouse. Two of the gangsters had passed behind a stack of crates, but the others were still visible to her. She could see them turning back and forth, trying to get a fix on where the noise was coming from.

She sent the sound along the roof toward where the lone gangster stood by the door, making the laugh progressively more demented sounding as it moved toward him. He gave a strangled cry and pointed his gun toward the ceiling and fired off several shots. There were shouts of dismay from the others, and at least one of them fired off a few shots of his own.

"Damn it!" yelled Ping. "Stop shooting, you mooks. She's throwing her voice. Don't shoot if you don't see the target."

"Very wise, Ping," she said. "You wouldn't want your men shooting each other. Just one question. What makes you think you'll see me coming?"

* * *

 

Korra had opened the skylight in time to hear the laughter. So the lone figure was the Ghost. It explained a lot. The gunfire had been a nasty surprise, although it didn't seem to be directed toward her. She took advantage of the noise and the yelling to slip through the skylight and drop onto a stack of crates. Once she was out of contact with the concrete of the building, she lost the echoes she had been tracking with her earthbending. She'd need to act quickly before she lost track of where the players were.

She crawled to the edge of the crates and reached out a hand. It was hard to feel the structure of the floor at this height, but with concentration she was able to find some cracks in the cement floor. She pulled a chip the size of coin free and sent it clattering along the aisle between the crates.

"I hear something," came a voice from somewhere below. There were rapid footsteps, and a second voice said in an annoyed tone, "Wait for me."

Korra peered over the edge carefully and waited. A man with a gun stepped into view at the nearest intersection. He looked back and forth down the aisle. He started to cross the aisle, perhaps to check the next aisle. Korra waited until he was about to pass out of sight, then she closed her eyes and with a twitch of her hand pulled the concrete chip to go skittering along the aisle in her direction. The man turned back with a jerk. A second man joined him and whispered "Down there?"

The first man nodded, and the two started walking in her direction. Korra was prepared to pull back out of sight, but their attention seemed fixed at ground level where the sound had come from. _Closer_ , she thought. _Just a little closer_. She drew in a deep breath in preparation. She let the lead man pass her position. When the second man drew level with her, she let fly with a gust of wind.

* * *

 

Asami wasn't sure what had excited the interest of two of her pursuers, but she wasn't going to waste the chance their mistake gave her. They weren't as good at moving quietly as they thought, and she started to make her way to flank them.

She hadn't moved very far when there was a loud thud. One of the gangsters yelled "Holy Spirits," his voice going shrill. "She really is a ghost!"

"The hell are you talking about?" Ping shouted. Asami was wondering the same thing.

"Kiran was right behind me, and then something slammed him into one of the crates, and there's no one here. He's out cold."

"Talk sense," Ping said. "You guys must have been careless. She's just a woman. She's not really a damn ghost."

Ping was right about one thing; none of this made sense. If it was a ruse, it seemed rather ornate. But if it wasn't, what had happened? Either way, there was no harm trying to up the level of paranoia. "Are you sure about that, Ping?" she said. She kept shifting where she was projecting her voice. "Maybe I'm dead. Maybe you killed me, and it didn't stop me. How do you think that makes me feel?"

There was a rattling noise from the direction of the door they had all entered through, and another voice called out "The door won't open."

"Damn it!" Ping yelled. "If any of you mooks try to leave before we've killed the bitch, I'll shoot you myself."

Asami peered around a corner. There really was a man lying on the floor, apparently unconscious. His comrade was standing near him, looking in the completely wrong direction. She had brought the shock bolas with her, and now she drew it out of her coat. She got back under cover to start spinning them up, then stepped out and let them fly. They wrapped around the man's legs. He stumbled but didn't fall. When he grabbed the cord to pull himself free he triggered the discharge. He screamed as the current coursed through him, his muscles spasming. He made a lot of noise as he collapsed against the crates and then slumped to the floor.

"Lanaq? What's going on?" Ping yelled.

"That's two down, Ping. Two more, and then it's your turn."

* * *

 

Korra grinned down at the man stationed at the door. A little earthbending had jammed the door shut on him. He'd kept on trying to get it open even after his boss had threatened to shoot him if he ran. He'd even tried to break it down. Fortunately, it was made of good strong wood. Now he leaned against the wall, clutching his shoulder and panting. Korra was starting to understand why the Ghost operated the way she did. This was kind of fun.

A flick of her fingers, and a pebble sized chunk of concrete went skittering along the floor off to her left. The door guard snapped his gun up, pointing it shakily in the direction of the sound and started backing in the opposite direction. She popped another chip out just a half a dozen paces behind him, and he jerked around. She bounced a third chip off the wall over his head and pulled it back into her fist. The man put his back to the wall and sank slowly into a crouch.

Korra started to feel that she had pushed him too far and should just put him out of his misery. Before she could act, something flashed out of the darkness and struck the man in the head. It only stunned him and he staggered to his feet. Before he could do anything a dark figure was upon him, and he fell under a flurry of blows. The Ghost scooped up the baton she had thrown and disappeared back into the shadows before Korra could react.

And then the Ghost's voice echoed through the warehouse. "That's three."

* * *

 

_How had it all gone to hell so fast?_

Ping ran a hand through his hair. The guys he brought with him were supposed to be the best, but that hadn't made any difference. He was down to one soldier. Just him and Udo. Was a little competence too much to ask for?

"OK," he said, looking off into the darkness. "We play this smart. She's trapped in here with us, not the other way around, see? Stick close, watch each other's backs, and shoot anything that moves. Got that?" Udo didn't answer him. He rounded on the man. "I said..."

Udo's fist slammed into his jaw. Ping fell to the floor and a foot stamped on his gun hand, hard. Ping screamed and dropped the gun. Udo kicked it into the darkness. Ping looked up to see the man pointing his gun down at him.

"It's you she wants," Udo said, "not me!"

"You bastard. You're a dead man." Ping glared up at the man.

"Yeah, well you first." Ping saw Udo take a deep breath and waited for the shot. He heard three brisk thumps and Udo stiffened with a grunt. He didn't pull the trigger. Ping couldn't figure it out until the Ghost stepped out from behind him.

"Thank you for your assistance," the Ghost said, "but I'll take it from here." Udo didn't turn his head, but his eyes looked sideways at her. She took the gun from his hand. He didn't lower his arm, just stood there with his empty hand pointed toward Ping. "You can sleep now," she said and broke something under Udo's nose. He collapsed on the floor.

The Ghost looked down on him, still holding Udo's gun. "You should have taken my deal, Ping."

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry," she said. She pulled the magazine from the gun and ejected the round from the chamber before tossing it away. "As much as I would like to shoot you, I'm keeping you for the law. Although since they'll book you for the murder of your man in the alley, maybe you should worry." She raised her open hand to him, and he saw a glow build in the palm. "Also," she said as she reached toward him, "this is going to hurt a lot."

* * *

 

Asami looked down on the unconscious figure of Ping. She knew she should cuff him, but she needed a moment to catch her breath.

"You're a chi blocker."

The voice was familiar. Asami turned and looked up. The Avatar was perched on top of a stack of crates looking down at her. Of course. That explained her mystery helper. Asami glanced at the still form of Ping's henchman before looking up again. "And you know how to recognize a chi blocker in action."

The Avatar shrugged. "The last Avatar fought against the Blue Fire. Defending against the technique was a big part of my training. Where'd you learn it?"

"From the last surviving member of the Blue Fire. She's reformed now. Not to mention retired." She thought a moment. "The last Avatar? You mean the first?"

"I really don't. It's a long story."

It occurred to Asami belatedly, that both of them were being a bit cavalier with personal information. "Thanks for your help. Taking all five of them out on my own would have been tricky."

"I didn't do that much. You took out four of them."

"After you got them distracted and worked up."

"Don't mention it. I was just..." The Avatar stiffened and held her hand out, palm forward, toward her. "Aw, hell. You're bleeding." She jumped down from the crate.

"A bit," Asami admitted. "One of them winged me."

The Avatar shook her head. "Don't talk tough. You're not in immediate danger, but you're bleeding more than 'a bit.'"

"How can you tell?"

"Blood is mostly water. I can _feel_ that yours isn't staying inside you. This is kind of what I do." The Avatar looked around. "We should get out of here first, before any of them come to. But we need to take care of it."

Asami reached up and touched her arm gingerly. "I put a bandage on it."

The Avatar nodded. "OK. That will have to do until we get outside." Abruptly, she scooped Asami up off the ground and held her cradled in her arms.

"Hey!"

"The less you're moving about on your own," the Avatar said, "the less blood you'll be pumping out." She stared carrying Asami toward the exit.

Asami relaxed. "I suppose that makes sense. You know one of them was saying that the door was stuck."

"That was me. Damn it. If I'd known you were injured, I wouldn't have taken time trying to fool them that you weren't being helped."

"Well, I appreciate the thought," Asami said. It was a strange combination, hearing the Avatar berate herself at the same moment she was taking such decisive charge of matters. "I tell you what. If the situation arises again, don't worry about preserving my reputation. I promise that my feelings won't be hurt."

The Avatar laughed. "I'll keep that in mind." After a few yards, she added, "You're heavier than you look." Then after another brief pause she said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

It was Asami's turn to  laugh. "I carry a lot in my pockets."

At the doorway, the Avatar made a gesture with one of her hands. It was somewhat awkward, because she was still holding Asami, but there was a grinding noise as she did it. She then kicked the door, and it swung open easily. After the door swung shut again behind them, the Avatar gestured again, and a section of pavement jutted up to wedge the door closed once more.

"Impressive," Asami said.

The Avatar shrugged. "I'll have to get rid of it before we leave, if we're going to maintain the impression that you took out those five solo. But for now, it will keep any of them from bothering us while I take a proper look at your arm."

They turned away from the door. Asami frowned at the sight of Hamura's body lying next to her car. "Set me down," she said.

"I was going to set you in the passenger seat."

"I promise I'll sit down in a moment," she said. "But right now, please let me stand."

The Avatar sighed but released her. Asami walked over to Hamura, knelt beside him and closed his eyes.

"Who was he?" the Avatar asked.

"A scared kid, in over his head. He led me into this ambush. And his 'friends' shot him, rather than risk that I'd get away if they let him get clear. Or maybe they always meant to kill him. Doesn't matter. He wouldn't be here if I hadn't tried to get clever."

"You didn't pull the trigger."

Asami looked up at the Avatar. "Would that make you feel better if it had been your mistake?"

"No," the Avatar said. "But it's all that I've got for you. Now will you let me look at your wound?"

Asami took the handcuffs off Hamura's wrists, then stood and obediently sat in the passenger seat of her car. The other woman knelt before her and started to undo the bandage. "Not bad, although putting it on over your clothes is less effective. How'd you tie the knot one handed?"

"Teeth," Asami said, trying not to wince. The Avatar nodded and kept working. She made Asami shrug off the overcoat and the suit jacket. The sleeve of the dress shirt she simply ripped off. She then opened the flask at her belt. At a gesture, a blob of water came floating out. The water surrounded the Avatar's open hand and started to glow. She placed her hand over the bullet wound, and the water flowed over the wound and glowed brighter. The pain subsided, and Asami gave a sigh of relief.

"There's only so much I can do right now," the Avatar said. "The bullet's still in there. So I've got to be careful not to close over it. It doesn't feel deep, but still."

"I'm afraid I don't have any forceps in my equipment," Asami said. "Usually, there's no call for them."

"Yeah, and I'm not really trained in that anyway. There's a technique to use earthbending on metal, but I'm not very good at it yet. I'm afraid I'd do more damage pulling it out than it did going in." She looked Asami in the eye. "Do you have a doctor as part of your band of helpers?"

"Afraid I haven't had a chance to recruit one."

"There's someone I know who might be willing to help. But we can't exactly go to her home."

Asami considered her options. "I have a series of safe-houses in the city. One's not too far away."

The Avatar started making a fresh bandage with some of the shirt sleeve that hadn't been soaked in blood yet. "OK. Once I've got this on, you can give me the keys and I'll take you there."

Asami raised her eyebrows, even though the other woman couldn't see it behind her goggles. "You will, will you?"

"If you think I'm letting you drive in your current condition, you really are crazy."


	15. Mission of Mercy

Yin looked up from her knitting as the radio crackled to life. " _Ghost calling Medium. Come in please_."

"Medium here. Proceed."

_"First, be advised that there are other ears on the conversation. Friendly ears, but for courtesy we should minimize operational information that she would have to pretend to forget_."

That begged for an explanation, but Yin simply said, "Understood."

" _Top priority, get the police to the warehouse district, Chuang and Waters. There are several people who need arresting, and unfortunately one dead body. Do whatever you can to impress on them that time is of the essence, because I won't be there to make sure none of the birds fly._

" _Next, get in touch with Number 24. I need him for a pick-up. Address will follow. Destination will be Safe House Nine_."

Yin read back from her notes. "That's Agent Two Four for a point to point ending at house Nine. What's the package?"

" _For now, let's just say its a civilian consultant_." Yin heard what sounded like a bark of laughter from someone else on the other end of the line. " _Nothing further for now_ ," the Ghost said. " _I'll contact you when I have the address. Ghost out_."

* * *

 

Kya was reading when the phone rang. Lin got up to answer it with a considerable amount of grumbling. "Hello?" she said in an unwelcoming tone of voice. After a pause, she said "It's late. Is this important?" She sighed at whatever the answer was. "No, I don't suppose you would. All right, I'll fetch her."

Kya had looked up from her book as soon as Lin had answered the phone and now she met her wife's gaze with raised eyebrows. "It's Pema," Lin said. "She says she really needs to speak to you."

Kya went to the phone, "Hello, Pema?"

" _I'm very sorry, but I've heard from our mutual friend. She gives her apologies, but she hopes she can take you up on your offer of help_."

Kya frowned, puzzled for a moment. "Our who? Oh, yes, I see. What's happened?"

" _I don't really have the whole details. Someone she knows has been injured. She says it isn't life threatening_."

Kya reflected on what she knew about the Avatar's powers. "I suppose she should know. Yes. Yes, of course. Where...?"

" _I'm told there will be a cab will meet you outside your apartment. Assuming you're all right with me giving your address?_ "

Kya blew out a breath. "Yes, I suppose so."

There was a moment's silence on the other end of the line. " _Kya, I appreciate you agreeing to this. I know you don't really approve_..."

Kya cut her off. "You should probably let them know I'm coming. And I need to get my bag together."

" _Yes, of course_ ," Pema said. " _Goodbye, Kya. Thank you_."

"Goodbye." Kya hung up the phone and leaned on the table.

"Well?" came Lin's voice from behind her. She turned and saw her wife leaning against the door frame, arms crossed.

Kya opted for as much truth as possible. "Pema was calling about the friend of a friend. Someone who needs medical help and doesn't want to call an ambulance or go to the hospital." Lin looked like she had bitten into something sour. "I said I'd go," Kya added.

Lin nodded. "Of course, you've got to." She sighed. "Pema and her strays. Just do me a favor. If this person is the victim of a crime, which from the sound of it seems likely, could you gently give her the hint..."

"If it's a her," Kya said.

Lin rolled her eyes. "Gently give her _or him_ the hint that they're not doing anyone any favors if they don't go to the police."

Kya walked up to her and kissed her on the cheek. "You know, you are my favorite cog in the machinery of oppression."

Lin's mouth twitched up at the corners. "Damn straight, I am."

* * *

 

The cab pulled up in front of Kya's building. Kya gripped the handle of her doctor's bag tighter and stepped out. She opened the back door to speak to the driver before she climbed in. "You know where we're supposed to be going?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Take you there, bring you back. Fare's taken care of too. All you gotta do is ride."

"All right." She glanced back at the door of her apartment building and then climbed in the cab.

She rode in silence for a block or so. Then the cabbie said, "First time?"

She met his gaze in the rear view mirror. "Sorry, what?"

He shrugged. "I know we're not supposed to discuss personal details. You just looked kind of uncomfortable back there, and I don't mean with the seat. So I was wondering if this was your first time, getting involved with this sort of thing."

Kya thought for a moment. "Let's just say that it's been a while."

He gave a chuckle. "Fair enough."

"I take it you've done this before."

She could see most of his face in the rear view mirror, but his eyes crinkled up like he was smiling. "This and other things. You know how it is."

"I suppose I do." Silence fell between them again.

Kya stared out the window, not really seeing the city streets. When she was very young, the Avatar's mission had just seemed like an exciting adventure. Later it had appealed to her idealism. She had been proud to be part of the Order of Raava. And then Mother had died, and the price seemed too high to pay. She had spent years telling herself that she had grown up when she left the Order behind. Maybe she hadn't grown up as much as she thought. It didn't take much to pull her back in.

She glanced at the cabbie. The Order had never been this organized. She doubted that had changed. On the phone, Pema had sounded like this was as new to her as it was to Kya. Well, it was a bit late to wonder what she was getting herself into.

* * *

 

The Avatar had been pacing the front room of the safe house ever since she received confirmation that her medical contact was on her way. Asami had nothing to do but sit and watch her. In her boredom she found herself torn between sympathy and annoyance.

The other woman stopped her pacing and turned to Asami. "How are you doing?" she asked for what must be the fifth time.

"I'm still reasonably alert," she said. The Avatar didn't answer and just kept looking at her. "I can recite the multiplication tables backwards, if it would help convince you. Nine time nine is eighty-one. Nine times eight is seventy-two."

"What about the tens?"

Asami rolled her eyes.  The act was wasted behind her goggles of course. "The tens table is mathematically trivial and wouldn't prove anything."

"OK. You've convinced me. You're still alert." The Avatar resumed her pacing. Asami suppressed a sigh.

Fortunately, it wasn't long after that there was a knock at the door. The pattern was one reserved for people not in her network of agents. "Go ahead and answer it," she said to the Avatar.

A handsome older woman with long silver hair entered the room. The Avatar had already warned Asami about her friend's connections, and Asami hadn't known what to expect of Kya Beifong. It turned out that she had a calm, almost commanding air about her, which in retrospect made sense for someone who had successfully forged a lasting relationship with the irascible chief of police. Doctor Beifong accepted the Avatar's outstretched hand of welcome, while keeping her attention focused on Asami. If she was surprised at the identity of her patient, she hid it well.

She crossed the room and set her doctor's bag down on the table next to Asami's chair. She gestured at Asami's arm. "This is your idea of not very serious?"

The Avatar answered in an almost businesslike tone. "I believe I said 'not life threatening.' Single gunshot wound. Bullet's not deep in, but too deep to extract safely without proper instruments and training. I did what I could to slow the bleeding and replaced the dressing she had put on herself.

Kya Beifong gave the Avatar a brief look, eyebrows arched, and then turned back nodding. "That's all, is it?" She looked Asami in the eye. "You haven't also been poisoned or dropped off of a building?"

"Not to the best of my knowledge," Asmai said.

The doctor turned her attention back to her bag. "Good. You're still capable of speech. I was beginning to wonder." She started laying out instruments and started sterilizing them with a bottle of alcohol. "You know who I am?"

Asami nodded. "It's been mentioned. Including who you're married to. I don't expect you to lie for me. Not even by omission."

The doctor glanced up at Asami. "I appreciate that." She started carefully removing the dressing on Asami's arm. She frowned at the wound. "There's no possibility of you going to the hospital in your civilian identity? Claim to have a lucky escape from a failed mugging?"

Asami took a deep breath. "If that's the only way. But it would get complicated in a hurry."

"The main problem is that I don't have any anesthetic." Beifong said. "It's not something I have an excuse to keep around the house. Under normal circumstances, I would never consider removing a bullet without it. It's going to hurt like a sonavabitch." She swabbed the wound with alcohol. Asami winced at the sting. Beifong put a fresh gauze pad over the wound and instructed Asami to hold it in place. She turned to the Avatar. "I don't suppose you know how to use your healing abilities to induce sleep?"

The Avatar shook her head. "I have no idea. Could my predecessor do that?"

The doctor shook her head. "No. The records say that Kuruk mastered the technique, but the notes from his time are not very clear. None of his successors ever figured it out. It was a long shot, but I thought it was worth asking."

Privately, Asami decided it was best if she ignored and did her best to forget the glimpse the two were giving her of the complicated and surprisingly long history of the Avatars. "I've been trained in some meditation techniques that should help me control the pain," she said to the other two.

The look Kya Beifong gave her was openly skeptical. The Avatar came to Asami's defense saying, "She was able to take out four gangsters with that slug in her."

"Well, it will have to do." The doctor reached into her bag and held a wooden stick out to Asami. "Use this."

"What is it?"

"This," she answered, "is a tongue depressor. I want you to bite down on it while I work. It won't do a damn thing for the pain, but it might prevent you from adding a bitten tongue to your list of woes."

Asami shrugged and took the stick. As she reached up to pull her scarf away from her mouth, the Avatar said, "I shouldn't see her face."

Beifong turned to stare at her. "Seriously? You're worried about that now?" The Avatar crossed her arms.

The doctor turned back to Asami. "You two are helping me," Asami said. "I'd prefer not to get in the middle of any argument."

"Fine." Beifong looked at the Avatar. "Wait in the next room. I'll call you when we're done." Beifong turned her attention back to Asami. The Avatar made her way out of the room. After she had closed the door behind her, Asami pulled her scarf down and put the tongue depressor in her mouth crossways. "You might also want to start your meditating," Beifong said.

The doctor had her take the gauze away and started to probe at the wound with her forceps. Asami found that her focusing technique wasn't quite as effective as she had hoped, although she managed to maintain concentration well enough to not flinch. Beifong talked as she worked. "Do you know how hard it is to recognize someone when you haven't seen their whole face? I'll admit I haven't studied it scientifically, but I've heard enough rants about failed police line-ups that I think I have a pretty good idea. I could pass you on the street tomorrow and have no idea who you are."

"She means well," Asami said around the stick in her mouth.

"Oh, I know that," Beifong said. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't. No offense." She probed at the wound some more. Asami clamped her jaw down tighter on the wooden stick. "By the way," Beifong said, "my wife was insistent that if I discovered you were the victim of a crime, I should encourage you to bring the matter to the police. Consider yourself told."

The dry remark surprised Asami into laughing. The laugh turned into a strangled grunt as the doctor took advantage of her momentary distraction to pull the bullet out.  Smiling, Beifong held it up before Asami's eyes. Asami spat out the tongue depressor and sagged in her seat. "Thank you," she said.

Beifong gave her a brisk nod. "If you want to cover up your face again, we can call our friend back in."

Removing the bullet wasn't the end of the work. The doctor cleaned the wound and stitched it up, had the Avatar perform more of her strange water healing, and then put a protective bandage over it. When it was all done, Kya Beifong stood before her with her arms folded. "Now, if you really want to thank me, you'll follow doctor's orders."

Asami met her gaze and nodded. "All right. Shoot."

"You're benched for the next three days. Not just this stuff." Beifong's gesture took in the whole room, presumably as a stand in for all of crime fighting. "Anything strenuous is off the menu. You can thank her that it's not for longer." She jerked a thumb at the Avatar.

"Can I drive home?" Asami asked.

Beifong pursed her lips. "Is that your only way of getting there tonight?"

"I can make other arrangements, if I have to."

The doctor nodded. "Make them. You've still lost a fair amount of blood. Add operating heavy machinery to your mental list of things not to do." She started scribbling on a piece of paper. "Drink lots of fluids. This is a list of foods to eat to build up the nutrients you lost."

Asami took the paper. Since her scarf concealed her smile, she nodded again and said "Understood."

"OK." Beifong pulled her coat back on and picked up her Doctor's bag. She gave both Asami and the Avatar a crooked smile. "Try not to need this sort of help very often."

"I promise. Thank you, again."

"You be well," the Avatar said, grasping the doctor's hand. Beifong bit her lip and nodded, then turned and left the safe house hurriedly without speaking again. "It's hard on her," the Avatar said to Asami. "Getting pulled back into this life. I guess I probably shouldn't talk about it."

"Probably not, but I appreciate your trust." Asami stood and stretched before turning to face the other woman. "I don't know if I thanked you for your help tonight."

"I'm pretty sure you did," the Avatar said.

"Well, it bears repeating. You probably saved my life." The Avatar made a noise of protest. Asami spoke over it, "And even if you didn't, you saved me a lot of trouble." She held out her hand, and the Avatar clasped it and nodded to her.

"Do you need any more help with anything?"

Asami shook her head. "I need to arrange my ride home. Nothing else is going to happen tonight."

"Well, then I'd better get going too. Mind if I go out the window?" The Avatar grasped her kite staff.

Asami laughed. "Be my guest. It's practically the crime fighter's front door."

The Avatar laughed and climbed out onto the fire escape. She snapped her kite open, gave Asami a sort of half salute and then launched skyward.

Asami let out a deep breath. Suddenly the safe house seemed very empty. She walked to the phone to call Yin to ask her to come bring her home.

* * *

 

Miss Sato had forgone her usual swim after the previous night's misadventure. However, the morning poolside meeting took place as ever. Yin sipped her tea and watched Asami eat. "I could have knocked Cook over with a feather when she saw how much you wanted for breakfast."

"Doctor's orders," Asami said. "She shouldn't get used to it."

Yin looked at the bandage on her employer's arm. "I'm glad you are being sensible about this."

"I always listen to my experts, you know that. Anyway, the investigation is at something of a standstill. The next few days will call for brain work, not muscles, so there's not a lot of temptation to cheat." She took another bite from her fruit salad. "It's going to be tedious taking a cab everywhere today."

"How do you plan to explain that?"

Asami raised her eyebrows. "I don't plan to explain anything if no one asks. And if anyone does, even I can have car trouble."

Yin grinned. "And how are you going to explain the bandage to your young lady?"

Asami gave her a flat look. "I wasn't planning on taking my top off on the second date."

"It's not the things you plan to do that will get you into trouble."

"You," Asami said, pointing her fork at Yin, "are a dirty old woman."

Before Yin could answer, she heard the door of the pool room open behind her. Asami frowned and hastily slipped her robe on. Yin turned in her seat. Aika the maid stood in the doorway, looking unhappy. A man in a suit pushed past her followed by two uniformed police officers.

"I tried to tell them that you weren't to be disturbed," Aika said, "but they insisted." She gave the man in the suit a dirty look. Yin sized him up as he approached them. He was well groomed, his graying hair and beard neatly trimmed, but he didn't look like a man who lived behind a desk. He was too muscular, and a small scar split his left eyebrow. His face lacked expression. He made Yin distinctly uneasy.

"That's all right. It's not your fault." Asami said to the maid. She stood and moved to meet the man, holding her robe shut with one hand. "What can I do for you, sir?"

"Miss Asami Sato?" He reached into his jacket pocket. "I have here a warrant for your arrest."

Yin felt her jaw drop. Her mind raced. Had Doctor Beifong betrayed Miss Sato after treating her last night? Told everything to her wife? But there was no way the police could have traced the ownership of the safe house this quickly, and Yin would swear she hadn't been followed driving her boss home.

"On what charge?" Asami sounded genuinely bewildered.

"Conspiracy to commit arson."


	16. Suspicion

Asami stared at the man for a moment and then started to laugh. It wasn't planned and it almost certainly wasn't smart, but she couldn't help herself. As she struggled to get under control, she could see the uniformed officers exchange uncomfortable glances. The man with the warrant just gave her a thin smile.

"I'm glad that I've brought such merriment into your day. However, I'm quite serious."

She was surprised by the sudden wave of hot anger that flowed over her. "I have no doubt that you are, Detective..."

" _Councilor_ Yorru, Civic Prosecutor's Office."

Not a member of the police force then. Interesting. "Oh, really?" She raised her eyebrows. Yorru just inclined his head slightly, his expression not changing. "Well, Councilor, while this is an appalling waste of police time and resources, I am sure you aren't doing it deliberately. I apologize for my laughter. Sometimes it's better than the alternatives."

Yorru's cold smile widened just a fraction. "Since you have such high regard for the precious time of the officers of the law, can I take it you will be coming along quietly?"

She gestured at the robe she wore. "Do you wish to arrest me as I am, or will your schedule stretch to giving me time to get dressed?"

Yorru agreed to let Asami change. One of the officers accompanying him was a woman, and he detailed her to keep an eye on Asami, presumably to keep her from jumping out of the window and making a run for it. Asami made a point of being genuinely polite to the police woman. Further trial barbs directed at Yorru failed to get any more of a rise out of him. Asami judged him to be very confident and dangerously self-controlled.

The one crack in his facade was caused by Yin, curiously enough. The elderly woman insisted on accompanying Asami at all times right up to the point where they took her out of the house to the waiting police car. More than once, Asami caught Yorru giving Yin a look of disapproval. Asami filed the fact away for future reference.

As they walked to the car, Asami gave her majordomo final instructions. "Contact my attorneys and let them know I'll be needing representation. Call the office so they know I won't be in. And please call Korra and let her know that I am terribly sorry that I will most likely be unavailable for our date tonight."

Yin nodded. "Of course."

"Instructions to the staff are of course entirely at your discretion for the duration." Just because the Ghost was going to be out of action, didn't mean her people needed to stand idle. Yin gave her the shadow of a smile, showing that the message was understood.

* * *

 

They kept Asami in the same small bleak room at police headquarters for a couple hours. A string of officers and detectives had come and gone to begin with, but she'd been left on her own for at least a half hour now. She was starting to contemplate knocking on the door to see if she had been forgotten when the door opened. A uniformed officer escorted a lean, elegantly dressed, older woman into the room. She held out her hand to Asami. "Suyin Beifong. I'm your lawyer."

Asami raised her eyebrows as she accepted the woman's handshake. "Asami Sato. It's a pleasure to meet you." Suyin Beifong had a formidable reputation as a trial lawyer. She'd defended many prominent cases over the years. Including one gangster Asami had personally, as the Ghost, gathered evidence against. The gangster had gone to jail, making him one of Suyin's rare losses. At any rate, Asami supposed she wasn't in a position to hold previous cases against the woman.

Suyin also happened to be the younger sister of the chief of police. It was rumored that the two women's personal relationship was even more adversarial than their professional one.

The two women sat opposite each other at the battered wood table. Suyin set a pad of notepaper in front of her and pulled out a fountain pen. She took notes as she spoke. "I understand you had the good sense to decline to answer questions or make a statement without representation."

"It seemed sensible," Asami said.

Suyin gave her a dry smile. "You would be amazed by the number of people who don't realize that. Our first order of business will to be go over the facts and then we can decide what you can tell them. What information were you given about the charges against you?"

"I am supposed to have conspired in the fires in Dragon Flats. I wasn't informed who I'm supposed to have conspired with."

"Yes, well they were probably hoping you would incriminate yourself by filling in the blanks." She smiled thinly. "It's adorable, really. I should ask at this point, is it your intention to plead guilty or not guilty?"

Asami raised her eyebrows at the question. "Not guilty."

"Very good. The first thing you should know is that the primary witness against you is an employee of Future Industries. The police are sitting on their identity right now, for their 'protection.' They can't stall on that forever. The law requires that we have the right to question this witness before any trial. I have seen the statement sworn out against you, of course. You are alleged to have used Future Industries resources in the production of the fire bombs, as well as providing the technical expertise behind the design." Asami grimaced. She frankly hadn't thought much of the technical mind behind the bomb she had defused, and felt a touch of resentment at the slight against her own engineering skills. Suyin spared her a brief sympathetic smile, almost certainly assuming a completely different reason for her reaction.

"Your alleged co-conspirator," the lawyer continued, "is Councilman Tarrlok. He is alleged to have agreed to make sure Future Industries would get the public contracts for rebuilding and to have used his contacts to identify property owners in vulnerable financial state. No one else has been named or arrested. The Councilman has his own representation. How closely we will be working with them has yet to be determined."

Asami drew in a breath through her teeth. "There's disturbing amounts of truth in there."

Suyin looked up from her notes and raised her eyebrows. "That's not the reaction I was expecting."

"Councilman Tarrlok approached me a few days ago." She described the meeting, leaving out the more personal details. She also had to take care to edit out information she knew as the Ghost instead of as the head of Future Industries. "So the question is," she said, "did this witness really uncover wrongdoing at my company and assumed I was involved, or are they lying?"

Suyin sighed. She started making cross-hatch patterns in the margin of her notepad without taking her eyes off of Asami. "Miss Sato, it may avoid some future confusion if we get one thing clear. My job is not to prove you innocent. It is to prevent your conviction. And while unmasking the actual criminal makes for a fine radio play, real trial work is much more grounded in practicalities." She tapped her chin with the end of her pen, frowning. "This is awkward. We can't rely on Tarrlok's defense staying silent about the meeting. Not if they can put their own spin on it. But even in your version, it will raise awkward questions. Such as why you didn't tell anyone about it."

Asami sighed. Her desire to be the one to bring Tarrlok down had been self-indulgent and would be impossible to explain. "I thought he was just being an opportunist, and anyway I couldn't prove anything."

"Oh, as a lawyer I approve of your discretion. I'd rather defend you against the current charge than try to win the slander case that could have followed if you'd spoken up. But I need to be realistic about how a jury will look on it if this gets to trial." She pursed her lips. "Still it might be prudent to sit on this a little while longer. Until we can take the measure of Councilman Tarrlok's defense strategy."

Asami shook her head. "I don't think this is information that should be kept from the police."

Suyin frowned. "It rather defeats the purpose of you waiting to talk to me before answering the police's questions if you don't take my advice."

"I'm sure that you've dealt with a lot of naive clients, but I've got better reasons than some vague notion that 'the Truth must be Known.' I had to work hard to rescue my company from my father's scandal. This could destroy the trust I've won. If people just think I managed to get away with the crime of the century, I'm sunk." Asami shrugged. "Although I won't deny that I also find arson obscene and it makes me spitting mad to be accused of it."

Suyin gazed at her. "Is that because of your mother? Sorry. Some of the less savory newspapers have already been commenting on the irony."

Asami didn't trust herself to speak, so she just nodded.

Suyin made a note. "We might be able to make use of that."

It really wouldn't do to make her lawyer's job too difficult. Asami took a deep breath and said, "If you think it's necessary."

The lawyer smiled at her. "All right. Let's work out your statement to the police."

* * *

 

Korra finished signing the ambulance back into the motor pool and headed for the locker room. A quick shower, and then she'd call Asami to see where they should meet for their date. She had brought a nice change of clothes. Not fancy restaurant duds, but she was still ready for a step or two above going to a diner.

Everyone fell silent and turned to look at her as she entered the room. Most turned away quickly, looking uncomfortable. Kuvira held her gaze, looking distraught. Kya just looked grim. "Is there something wrong?" Korra asked.

Kya stepped forward and took her by the arm. "Come with me. We'll talk in private." She led Korra out of the locker room and to an empty alcove at the end of the emergency room. Kya pulled the curtain shut behind them and gestured for Korra to sit on the bed.

"What's going on, Kya? You're freaking me out. Am I being fired or something?"

"What? No, nothing like that. It's not really anything to do with you. Not directly."

Korra clenched her fists. "Kya, if you don't tell me what this is about, I'm going to scream."

"All right. Sorry." Kya swept a hand through her hair and looked Korra in the eye. "I didn't want you to hear this on the news, but I'm making a mess of it. It's about your new girlfriend."

Korra felt a chill. "Has something happened to Asami?"

"Not in the way you're thinking. She's been arrested." Korra just stared. "They're saying that she conspired with Councilman Tarrlok on the fires in Dragon Flats," Kya continued.

Korra stood quickly enough that the bed was shoved backwards with a scrape. "That's ridiculous."

Kya didn't break her gaze. "I hope you're right."

The lack of argument left Korra off balance. "You don't think it could be true?"

Kya shrugged. "I've never met the woman. How would I know? For your sake, I don't want it to be true."

Korra realized that her hands were balled into fists. She uncurled her fingers. "Has Lin said anything?"

Kya shook her head. "We don't share that sort of detail about our work. It's not really appropriate. She didn't even mention that an arrest was imminent."

"I understand." Korra put her hands over her face and took a deep breath. "So everyone knows about me and Asami."

"I'm sorry," Kya said. "Kuvira told me, and I didn't see any harm mentioning it to others. You know how the rumor mill works. And your mood has been up and down like a yo-yo the past few days, so people have been curious." Korra just nodded. "Are you all right? If you need to be with people tonight, you're welcome to come over for dinner. Or if things would be awkward with Lin, I'm sure Kuvira..."

"I think I'm just going to head home." She gave Kya a weak smile. "Thanks for looking out for me. I'll be all right."

The older woman laid a hand on her shoulder. "If you need anything, call. Any time of night."

Korra nodded and headed for the nearest exit, avoiding people she knew.

* * *

 

The story had hit the papers. Asami's face was plastered over the front page of every evening edition. Hers and Tarrlok's. Korra recalled the conversation she had with the Councilman at the charity gala. She felt queasy. Most of the papers seemed to take the mere fact of the arrest as pretty damning. Some seemed downright smug. Korra looked at the cover of the Gazette, which had attached the caption "Like Father, Like Daughter?" to Asami's picture. Korra bought a copy of the Dragon-Sentinel instead. She went into her apartment building.

Mr. Fang showed his usual uncanny ability to sense Korra's presence in the hall and as always came out to glower at her. Korra gave him a look that caused him to back hastily into his apartment and shut the door. She opened her own door. She thought about slamming it behind her, but couldn't be bothered. Outside, the sun was starting to set. She left the lights off. She set the newspaper down on the kitchen table and walked to the icebox. She stared at the bottles of beer on the top shelf for a few seconds, then closed the door again without taking anything out. She leaned her forehead against the cool metal surface and cursed.

While she stood there, the phone rang. Korra turned her head and glared at it. She walked over, took a deep breath and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

A woman's voice on the other end said, " _Is this Miss Tusenna_?"

"Yes. Who's calling, please?"

" _My name is Yin. I work for Asami Sato. Miss Sato asked me to call to extend her apologies. She's unable to make her dinner engagement with you tonight_."

Korra stared at the picture of Asami that still hung on her bulletin board. "That was... very considerate of her."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. " _You've already heard, haven't you?_ "

"Yeah. It's all over the news."

" _I'm sorry_ ," Yin said. " _I had hoped that I could break it to you. I tried to call you first thing this morning, but I had already missed you_."

"That's all right."

" _No one has been bothering you about this, I hope_."

"No." Korra snorted. "Everyone has been very sympathetic. Thank you for asking."

There was another pause. " _How are you holding up?_ "

Korra closed her eyes. "About as good as you could expect. I'm sorry, I should go. Thank Asami for me for thinking of me." She set the receiver down on the cradle.

"It is a hard thing," a voice behind her said, "having doubts about someone you care for."

Korra whirled around, stepping into a fighting stance. A tall bald man with a dark beard stood before her. He wore robes similar to the ones Pema always wore. The dimness of the room didn't seem to affect his appearance. It wasn't exactly that he gave off his own light, more that it was like a light shone on him that didn't touch anything around him. He gave Korra a gentle smile. She came off her guard and reached out a hand, then pulled it back, hesitating from actually trying to touch him. After all, there probably wasn't anything there that she could touch. "Aang?" she said.

"Hello, Korra," he said. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last."

"I need to sit down," she muttered. She looked at him again. "No, actually I need to turn on the lights first. You're kind of creeping me out."

Aang shrugged and laughed. "Sorry. That's just the way it works. When you can see me at all, you will always be able to see me clearly."

Korra flipped the wall switch. He looked more natural with the rest of the room lit as well as he was. Not that she was likely to forget that this was a spiritual manifestation of her past self. She pulled a chair out from the table. After a moment's thought, she pulled a second one out as well and set it facing the first. She sat and gestured for Aang to do likewise. "I guess you already know everything."

"What you know, I know. But it might help you to put it into words."

Korra sat in silence trying to martial her thoughts. "Asami Sato has done so much for this city. I mean in ways that really count, things that help people who really need it. And she's really nice. Kind. The accusations seem insane. How could someone like her possibly be so callous about innocent lives? Just to get a bigger public works project."

She trailed off. "But?" Aang prompted after the silence had stretched on for several seconds.

"How well do I really know her? We have fun together, and she says all the right things. Am I being blind, because I'm attracted to her? I don't want to believe she's guilty, but I was ready to believe it of Tarrlok. I tipped the Ghost off about this very angle last week. And I'm wondering, did she uncover something? She's got contacts with the police." Korra laughed. "Wouldn't that be a kick in the head? If the very day I start to fall for Asami, I kicked off the chain of events that led to her arrest?" She ran a hand through her hair. "So what am I supposed to do?"

"I can't answer that," said Aang. "But I can help clarify the choice you're facing. You need to decide if you trust her."

Korra sighed and leaned on her knees. "I guess. I mean, if I could just know for sure."

"If you knew, it wouldn't be trust."

Korra opened her mouth to answer, then frowned and leaned back and crossed her arms. "Huh."

Aang leaned back in his chair, a distant look in his eyes. "I remember, way back during the war. Katara — you know about Katara?" Korra nodded. "She received information about the man who killed her mother. And she decided to go in search of him to take revenge. I didn't want her to." He looked Korra in the eye. "I was raised to believe that killing is never justified, but I have killed. I've killed out of desperation, and I've killed in the heat of anger. I'm not proud of either. But setting out with the express intent of taking another life is a line I never crossed. Is that a difference that makes sense to you?"

Korra nodded. "Yeah, I see that."

"And that was exactly what Katara planned to do. And I didn't know what I'd do if she did it. If I could ever look at her the same way."

"So what happened?"

Aang spread his hands. "She didn't do it. She turned back. She never forgave the man, mind you. She always maintained that he deserved death. But she decided the cost to herself was too high."

"So you trusted her, and she did the right thing?" Korra said. "Is that the point?"

"Not exactly. I didn't trust her to do the right thing, I'm afraid. I fully believed that she would carry out her plan. Until she came back and told me she hadn't." He leaned forward. "So tell me something, Korra. How do I know she _didn't_ kill him?"

Korra thought about the question. She exhaled. "I think I get the picture now."

"So what do your instincts tell you about your Miss Sato?"

She shook her head. "I don't think she'd do it."

Aang rose from the chair. "Then whatever you do, take that as your starting point."

"Well, hang on a minute." Korra jumped up. "I still have no idea what I'm supposed to do about it."

He gave her a crooked smile. "I don't know either. Exciting, isn't it?"

She stared at him and then buried her face in her hands and laughed. "Not the word I would have picked." She looked up at him. "But thank you. You did help."

Aang bowed to her. "It is my pleasure. I'd give you a hug, but..." He waved his hand back and forth through the surface of the table.

Korra bit her lip. "Aang? Why did you appear to me? I mean, why now and not earlier?"

He laughed. "You've never needed to talk to me before." He started to fade before her eyes. "Now that we've met, don't be so much of a stranger, OK?"

Korra picked up the phone and dialed. She counted five rings before it was answered, " _Hello, Sato residence_."

"Is this Yin? This is Korra. If you speak to Asami before I get a chance to see her, please tell her that I believe in her."


	17. Digging

The day had been one of furious catchup at police headquarters. Mako thought back on the look on the Chief's face as she had briefed the detectives and reflected that "furious" was doubly apt in her case. "We've been blindsided by the prosecutor's office," she had explained. "Mr. Yorru has managed to get arrest warrants based on the testimony of a single whistle blower. He has charged Councilman Tarrlok and Asami Sato. He kindly informed me that he had been personally investigating them when he came to demand officers to assist him. Now we have to find the paper trail that will back him up in court."

Lang had asked what everyone in the room was thinking. "How sure are we that this witness is right?"

Lin's expression had grown even more sour. "Yorru is sure enough to stake his career on this. The jury is still out whether he's an idiot or not. Or rather, exactly how big an idiot he is, and if that's one of the things he's being an idiot about."

Because his grandmother worked for Sato and Mako himself had met the woman socially, he had been assigned to the City Hall angle to avoid any conflict of interest. Tarrlok's staff had been torn between an instinctive dislike of the police and a strong sense of self-preservation. They solved this conflict by presenting Mako with fourteen file boxes of notes, minutes, memoranda, and other bureaucratic miscellany. If Tarrlok had left proof of wrong-doing behind, it would be in there somewhere, and good luck to him in finding it.

Finally off shift, he wanted nothing more than a hot meal, a stiff drink, and bed. First he had one further duty to perform. He picked a phone booth far from both police headquarters and his apartment. He fed a coin into the slot and dialed the number. The phone on the other end rang exactly three times before picking up. " _Go ahead_ ," said the voice on the other end.

Mako glanced up and down the street. Which was silly. If he'd missed a tail it was a bit late to worry about it. "This is Agent 29."

" _Report_ ," said the Medium.

* * *

 

They wouldn't let Korra in to visit Asami in jail. She gripped the edge of the front desk, and took a deep breath to control herself. Losing her temper with the desk officer wouldn't do her any good. "I called ahead," she said patiently. "I asked about the procedure for visiting a prisoner and when I could come in. They didn't say anything about needing to be on a list."

The officer shrugged. "Those are my orders. You can leave your name, and I'll see if you can get added. That's as much as I can do." He seemed genuinely apologetic, so he probably wasn't angling for a bribe. Which meant Korra was stuck. She covered her face with her hands and gave a frustrated grunt.

"Something the matter?" a voice behind her said. She turned and recognized Mako, the detective.

"Oh, hi." She gave him a crooked smile and spread her hands. "Just bureaucracy."

"You here to visit Miss Sato?" he asked. In spite of everything, Korra had to suppress a laugh. Apparently everyone had spotted that there was something between them before they did.

She nodded. "I didn't know that I had to get on the list first."

Mako's brow furrowed. "What list?" Korra stared at him. After a moment, they both turned to look at the officer. "What list?" Mako repeated a bit more loudly.

"Orders from the prosecutor's office," the sergeant said. "We're not supposed to let visitors in to see either Sato or Tarrlok unless the names have been approved. Mr. Yorru said that with such a high profile case it was necessary for their protection. Lot of people are pretty angry. Don't want someone coming in who means them harm."

Mako leaned on the desk. "Have we stopped screening visitors for hidden weapons?" he asked mildly.

The desk officer swallowed. "No, sir."

"And we do still actually ask the prisoners if they are willing to see the person who's come to visit them, right?"

The officer sighed. "Yes, sir."

Mako closed his eyes and massaged his brow. "Do we have either a court order or a letter from Miss Sato's lawyer approving this arrangement?" He opened his eyes to look at the unfortunate man, who just shook his head. "Then please let this woman into see the prisoner. I take full responsibility."

The officer rushed off to set the wheels in motion. Korra gave Mako a smile and said, "Thanks for taking care of that."

"Don't mention it. To anyone, please. I don't know what the prosecutor is thinking, that was just seven different kinds of wrong. I just hope no one actually got turned away. That could get the whole case dismissed on a technicality." He glanced at Korra. "Sorry. That was kind of insensitive."

Korra shrugged. "It's part of your job to think about things that way." She considered him for a moment. "Could you tell me something, though. Off the record, I promise. You've met Asami. Do you really buy this? That she'd be involved?"

He rubbed his jaw and looked away. "I don't know. I admit, she didn't seem like the type. And while Tarrlok has always been a pain in the butt to the department, before this I had him pegged as honest enough as politicians go. But if there's one thing you learn as a cop, it's that you really can't tell what people will do."

Korra gave him a crooked smile. "That's not a 'Yes, definitely.' Right now, that's good enough for me." Maybe better than good enough. If the Ghost had been the one to get the goods on Asami, wouldn't she have funneled that information through Mako? Or at least kept him in the loop. "I bet you this all blows over, and no hard feelings when it does." She stuck out her hand.

Mako opened and closed his mouth. She she could almost see him mentally editing out the question " _And if it doesn't blow over?_ " Instead he accepted her hand and said. "Well, I couldn't ask for fairer than that."

The desk officer came up to them to say that he would take Korra in to see Asami. Mako gave her a wave that was halfway a salute. She followed the officer into the depths of the station. He escorted Korra into a large room with half a dozen wooden tables. Asami was seated at one, waiting for her. Other than that the room was empty except for one bored looking policeman seated in a straight back chair tipped slightly on its back legs. He gave Korra a disinterested look as she crossed the room. A smile spread across Asami's face as Korra approached.

Asami was dressed rather drably in a dark gray blouse and matching skirt, probably standard issue for female prisoners. She didn't have on her usual makeup, and her hair was pulled back in a simple pony tail. But her smile made Korra's heart flutter and she felt a grin spread across her own face.

"I'd give you a hug," she said by way of greeting, "but they warned me about touching you."

Asami laughed as Korra sat down. "I got the same lecture. It doesn't matter. It's just good to see you."

"So if you don't mind me asking," Korra said, "what the hell is going on?"

Asami filled in some of the blanks that were still missing from the newspapers. Korra asked as many questions as she dared without seeming suspicious. Although Asami didn't act like there was anything strange with Korra's curiosity, so maybe she was just over-thinking it. Unfortunately, she still didn't have much of an idea how to clear Asami's name.

She glanced at the clock on the wall. "I'm afraid I need to go soon. I'll have to get back to work."

Asami frowned. "Are you skipping lunch to see me?"

Korra shrugged. "Kuvira said she'd grab me a sandwich. I wasn't sure when else I'd be able to get in."

"Thank you," Asami said. "It means a lot to me that you came to visit me." She clasped her hands and looked down. "Also Yin gave me your message. I think people who trust me might be a bit scarce for a while. I'm glad you're one of them."

Korra laughed sheepishly. "Yin might not have mentioned that that the first time she spoke to me, I was still freaking out a bit too much to be supportive."

"Well, I don't care about that. You're here now, and that's what matters. Although..." Asami's frown returned. "Things are probably going to get a bit rough before this is all over. I don't want people giving you grief. It might be smart to keep your distance from me."

Korra laid her hand on the table less than an inch from Asami's. "No one's ever accused me of being smart."

* * *

 

Mrs. Hamura insisted on making Mako tea. Perhaps she was the sort who held it together by keeping busy. So he sat quietly in her living room and waited for her to be ready to talk. The Medium hadn't mentioned the likelihood of a distraught mother when she had relayed the Ghost's latest orders the night before.

" _The dead man in the warehouse district from last night had information on the whoever is making the fire bombs_ ," she had told him. " _It's a long shot, but the Boss needs you to see what you can trace_."

The wording had caught his attention. "Whoever? Is she saying that we've arrested the wrong people?"

" _Let's just say that she's concerned about some inconsistencies, and we're not treating the matter as closed_."

Mrs. Hamura came out of the kitchen carrying a tray with a tea pot and two cups. She bustled around, making a business of pouring out and asking him if there was anything else she could get for him. Eventually, she ran out of excuses to keep moving and sat down opposite him with her own cup. Mako gave her an extra moment by taking a sip and complementing her on the blend.

"My son wasn't a bad boy." She didn't look at him as she said the words. She wasn't avoiding his gaze. She was just staring at nothing. "He got mixed up in the wrong crowd, but he wasn't a bad boy."

Mako nodded. "I understand. When I was younger, I did some things that I'm not proud of now. I got lucky and met someone who looked past my mistakes and gave me a hand up to something better. Second chances are important."

She looked at him then, surprised. He just held her gaze, waiting. She drew in a ragged breath and nodded at him. "So what can I do for you, officer?"

"There's no pleasant way to put this, so I apologize. I received a tip that your son might have done work for the people behind the arson attacks."

Her eyes grew hard. "Is that who killed him?"

Mako had asked the same question the night before. He didn't think the answer was what Mrs. Hamura wanted to hear. He shook his head. "We don't think so. We think that was the gang he ran with, punishing him for going off on his own. We've already got the people directly responsible for his death in jail, and they'll get what's coming to them. I'm afraid I can't offer you any more justice than that." He set down his tea cup and leaned forward. "But I hope you will help me get justice for the people hurt by these fires. We need all the evidence that we can get. Facts that can prove to the satisfaction of a jury just who is responsible for these horrible crimes. I don't know if looking through your son's affects will get me that evidence. But there's a chance. Will you let me try?"

Mrs. Hamura took another shaky breath, stood, and walked out of the room. Mako sat, wondering if he had pushed her the wrong way. He heard her rummaging around in the next room. She came back in and set something down on the coffee table in front of Mako. "That's the spare key to my son's apartment. If what you've been told is true, my son is dead because he worked for those people. Even if they didn't kill him, they bear some responsibility. Make them pay."

* * *

 

The newsroom bustle was starting to wind down. Most of the stories for the morning edition were already in, including Opal's own. She was organizing her notes when her phone rang. She stopped working and answered it, "Hello?"

A woman's voice said "Is this Opal Beifong?"

"Yes. Who's this?"

"I need to talk to you about the arson case. Can I meet you?"

"Maybe, if you can give me an idea who you are and what you've got to tell me."

There was a pause on the line. "Can you get to a window that overlooks the building across the street from the Sentinel building?"

"What? I suppose so. Why?"

"Be looking that way in, let's see, five minutes. I think I can show you something that will make you want to talk to me."

"Oookay."

"After that I'll be in the alley next to your building." The line went dead with a click.

Opal hung up the phone. "Crazies. What would we do without them?" Malik at the next desk chuckled. She returned to her work. She lasted nearly a minute before she glanced at the phone and then at her watch. "Aw, hell," she muttered and started tidying her notes away. "I need coffee anyway."

The newsroom didn't have windows. The senior editorial staff all had offices along the front of the building, but anyone who was actually in their office was too busy for her to just come in to stare out the window. But there was a conference room at the corner. That would do. Opal got a cup of bad coffee and went to the conference room to wait.

"I must be crazy myself," she said. The voice on the other end had sounded confident, but cranks always did. What could she possibly see? Opal frowned. Across the street on the roof top, an orange glow began to build. It didn't hold steady, but flickered like a flame. As it grew brighter, she could see a figure who seemed to be holding the flame in their hands. Then the figure made a sudden sweeping motion and an arc of fire spread out over head and rocketed skyward. Before it faded, she saw the figure launch itself into the air and disappear.

Opal realized that her jaw was hanging open. She looked over her shoulder back into the newsroom. Everyone was going about their business; no one else had seen. She forced herself to walk back to her desk at a normal pace, get her coat, and walk out of the newsroom. _Scoop, scoop, scoop_... The words echoed through her head. And she had thought being on the spot the night the Avatar had first appeared had been good.

She went down the hall to the photo department. The door to the darkroom Bolin usually used was ajar, and the light was on. She poked her head in and found him tidying up. All his photos for the next edition were probably already down at Composition. She knocked on the door frame to get his attention. "Grab your camera. We've got something big."

The alley was dark and empty when they reached it. Opal glanced back to the street to make sure no one had followed them. Then she peered up into the darkness between buildings.

"Opal?" Bolin said.

Opal glanced at him and then continued looking up. "Yes?"

"Opal, what are we doing?"

"We're waiting."

"OK." Bolin stepped next to her. "What are we waiting for exactly?"

There was a flicker of movement in the narrow band of sky between the buildings. It resolved into the dark figure of a woman, descending toward them. Opal pointed. "We're waiting for her."

"Holy..." Bolin's voice trailed away. Opal felt a grin spread over her face as the Avatar landed on the pavement in front of them.

* * *

 

Korra looked at the pair standing in front of her. Opal Beifong looked young to be a star reporter. She was grinning broadly, but she didn't look star struck or anything. There was a steadiness about her that Korra found reassuring. Bolin on the other hand was opening and closing his mouth like a fish. It wasn't surprising that Opal would have brought a photographer, nor who she would pick if she did. Bolin's presence had been a calculated risk, and Korra just hoped she wouldn't regret not asking the woman to come alone.

"Miss Beifong. Thank you for agreeing to see me."

Opal pointed at herself. "You want to thank _me_? There's not a reporter in the city who wouldn't kill to be where I'm standing right now."

"Not literally," Bolin said.

Opal closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I suspect they have figures of speech where she comes from, Bo." Korra suppressed a laugh. Opal gestured to the photographer. "This is Bolin Zhang. He's the best photographer on the paper. I thought it would be a good idea to have him along in case you were willing to have some pictures taken."

"I didn't contact you because I wanted to have a press conference," Korra said. "Although I am here to trade favors. If you want photos, I'm willing within reason."

Opal rubbed her chin as she looked at Korra. "Tell me what you're after. Then we'll see what I want in return."

"It's about the fires. And the arrest yesterday." Korra took a deep breath. "I think it's a frame, and I need help investigating."

Opal didn't laugh in her face, which was something. "Interesting," the reporter said. "Anything to base that on?"

"Not much beyond gut instinct," Korra admitted. "It doesn't sound right for Sato. Tarrlok, I wouldn't put it past him. But if it's a frame for one, it doesn't really play any other way than it being a frame for both." Opal was looking openly skeptical. Korra decided to bring out her best card, wishing she actually had a better hand to play from. "I've got a source. From what I understand, while Tarrlok wasn't shouting his renovation plans from the rooftops, he wasn't exactly hiding them either. He was heard talking about them at the charity gala last week, and he was complaining that he hadn't been able to get Sato to talk to him. He did finally meet with her a few days ago. My source only has second-hand information on that meeting, but it didn't sound like Tarrlok went away happy. Does that sound like two people involved in a conspiracy?"

"If we're feeling paranoid, we could say that it was part of an elaborate bluff. But I'll grant that there's some reason to doubt." The young reporter looked interested. "Why come to me?"

Korra had half expected the question. "You've been covering the fires."

"Just about everyone on the crime beat is covering the fires. Not just at the Dragon, at every paper in the city." Opal said.

"I went to the public library, looked over what everyone's been printing. A lot of the best articles were under your byline."

Opal raised an eyebrow at Korra. "That's nice. Sorry if I seem suspicious, but I want to make sure that you aren't expecting anything special from the fact that my aunt is chief of police and my mother is Sato's lawyer."

"I'm... not surprised about the Chief. From what I've heard about her, I wouldn't expect that she'd do any special favors for you."

"Hoo boy," Bolin spoke up. "You've got that right." Opal gave him a kick in the shin, but a smile twitched across her face.

"I had no idea about your mother," Korra added. "I can't help it if this sounds like flattery. I need someone who is interested in answers and who's good at getting them. Your articles make me think that might be you."

"Opal's a digger all right," Bolin said.

"Is that the word for it? Good to know."

Opal shrugged. "Not everyone means it kindly when they say it. But it's not a label I've ever shied away from. OK. I'm game. We'll see where this goes."

Korra gave a quiet sigh of relief. "Sounds good. So can I ask what you want in return?"

Opal gave her another grin. "Isn't it obvious? I want the story. I want to be in on the take-down and have an exclusive on the front page of the Dragon with my name on it."

"And if this doesn't pan out?"

"If we don't turn anything up, we can discuss what my time's been worth to you," said Opal.

"Fair enough." Korra stuck out her hand. Opal grasped it and shook. "So where do we begin?"

"We see if we can get a line on the star witness. The police have admitted that it's someone from Future Industries, but that's it."

"To be fair," said Bolin, "it's kind of the upright thing to do. I mean, you'd want them to protect an honest witness, and that's what they think they've got."

"And even if it's a frame-up, they still might be right," Opal said with a shrug. "The witness could be a liar or they could be a dupe." Opal scribbled her notebook,  ripped out the page and handed it to Korra. It was an address. "I'm going to need to do a little digging first. Meet me here tomorrow night, say around nine?"

"I can't really come in the front door," Korra pointed out.

Opal slapped her forehead. "Right. Um... My apartment is just next to the fire escape on the third floor. We should be able to sneak you in through the window."

"So no photos tonight?" Bolin sounded disappointed. Opal glanced at Korra and cocked an inquiring eyebrow.

Korra smiled under her mask. "I don't mind you being there tomorrow. I don't know how much of a show you'll get."

"It's a date!" Bolin glanced sideways at Opal, who raised her eyebrows and smirked at him. "I mean..."

"We know what you mean, Bo," the reporter said, not unkindly.

"I'll see you two tomorrow then," Korra said. She unfurled her kite and summoned a wind to launch her up to the rooftops. Below her she heard a gasp, whether from Opal or Bolin she wasn't sure. "I need to learn more of this detective stuff," she said to herself. "It's going to be rough waiting."

* * *

 

It was the third day since Miss Sato's arrest, and Yin's patience was starting to fray.

Asami had been denied bail. She had made light of it when Yin had visited her: "I own several airships, so they probably think I pose a quite literal flight risk." However, it was clear that being sidelined at such a crucial point of the investigation was weighing on her.

At the mansion, reporters had been pestering the staff for the inside dirt on Miss Sato. As far as she knew, the only "interview" that had been granted was when the head gardener had told a particularly insistent hack from the Gazette, "The police are morons, and so are you for believing it." He had then made several colorful threats in which manure had featured prominently.

The police currently had detectives permanently camped in Asami's private office, going through her papers. She knew that there was no chance of them accidentally finding the hidden passage to the crime lab, but still their presence in the room made her twitchy.

So when the extension for the special line rang while she was going over the household accounts, she was a bit more curt than usual on answering. "Report."

" _I've got an address_ ," Mako said on the other end without preamble. " _I actually got several, but just one that seems promising. Our boy was the sort who wrote everything down. Most of them were his circuit for the protection racket. Others were probably just personal. But one was a warehouse that was all shut up when I went by. Locals didn't really know much about it. No one knows who owns it or remembers how long it's been since it was really active. But there were a few people spotted coming and going over the past few weeks. No one in the past few days, though. I think it's worth a look_."

"The boss had to go dark a few days while she pursues her own line of inquiries." Yin was proud of her grandson's abilities, but she hoped he wasn't a good enough detective to connect these particular dots. "You'll need to follow-up on your own."

" _I don't really have enough to ask for a warrant."_ His tone sounded more thoughtful than complaining, so she just held the line and waited. _"Medium,"_ said Mako, _"can you rustle up a cast for some street theater? I need to stage a break-in_."

Yin smiled to herself. _Good boy_.

* * *

 

Bolin was there to open the fire escape window when Korra arrived. He looked extremely furtive, but since no one was in the hall to see him acting strangely, that probably didn't matter. Korra slipped through the window and followed Bolin into Opal's apartment.

The young reporter was seated in her living room, surrounded by notes. She gave Korra a distracted wave. "That looks like an awful lot of digging for just twenty-four hours," Korra said.

Opal stood up and stretched. "Oh, don't worry. This wasn't all done by me. Half the crime-beat had something potentially useful for me to borrow, and they've been collecting it since the arrest."

"They just gave you their notes?"

"Standard newsroom ostrich-horse trading," Opal said. "I've shared my own material often enough, and they all know they can trust me that if their contribution breaks open a big story, I'll give them credit."

"Besides," Bolin added, "if anyone thought they were on something interesting with this stuff, they'd just tell her to wait and read it in the morning edition and oh-by-the-way-eat-my-dust." Opal grinned and Korra shook her head.

"All right," Korra said. "What are we looking at here?"

Opal started straightening the papers. "As much info as I could get on people at Future Industries that are well placed to be the anonymous source. The ones with the access to dish the dirt."

Korra nodded. "Even if there's really no dirt to dish, the source needs to look plausible. Makes sense." This looked like it would be a long night. "Well, let's get started."

Opal had done a lot of preliminary work, and had managed to dismiss a lot of names as unlikely. That still left a lot of people at a company as big as Future Industries, and Korra was painfully aware that these were only the ones that Opal and her colleagues had identified. They went down the list one at a time, going over where they fit in the company, their personal details, how they had acted when interviewed, anything that might help identify someone with guilty or at least hidden knowledge.

After an hour, Opal called a break and went into her kitchen to fix snacks. Bolin followed to help and possibly to spend more time with his crush. Korra paced the living room. Two things were clear to her. One, so far she had no reason to pick one candidate over another. Two, even if she did, she had no idea how to get proof that the person was the police's secret witness. Suppressing a growl of frustration, she threw herself into her chair and glared at the chaotic stacks of notes. Something caught her eye and she leaned forward to look at it. She was still looking when Opal and Bolin came back in with a plate of sandwiches.

"What's this?" Korra pointed to a paper Opal had left off to the side.

Opal glanced at it. "That's a list of people who might have access in the company, but I don't have interview material on. People who were too busy or refusing to talk to reporters or ..."

"'Out sick,'" Korra read next to the name that had leapt out at her. One familiar name: _Li, P_.

Opal looked where she was pointing. "Sato's personal assistant," she said. Korra already knew that, but kept silent. "I think there was a little gossip about her," Opal continued. She flipped through her notebook. "Went home early the day of the arrest. People said she seemed pretty distraught at the news."

Korra closed her eyes and pictured the woman's face. What if Miss Li wasn't suffering from worry for a trusted employer? Or disappointment in a no-longer-trusted employer. What if she was suffering from guilt? Korra thought about the woman's strange manner when they met. Did it fit? Was Li uncomfortable being confronted with a new person who would be hurt by Asami's imminent arrest? Would that explain it? Maybe.

The uncomfortable question was, did it fit because Korra wanted it to fit? Looked at rationally, it was thin. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she was on to something. "This one," she said, tapping Li's name with her finger. "This is where I'm going to start."

Bolin's brow furrowed in puzzlement. Opal leaned back in her seat giving Korra a long look. "Gut instinct again?"

"If you like," Korra said. She hoped her doubts didn't show in her voice.

Opal held her gaze and then broke into a smile. "OK. You're calling the tune, and I'm ready to play along. What's next?"

Korra thought. With a target in her sights, the beginnings of a plan formed in her head. "We're going to test my guess that she's the whistle blower. Do we have an address for Miss Li?"


	18. The Conspiracy

Mako knocked on the alley door of the Jade Cab Company. Shady Shin opened the door and gave him a big grin. "Hey, man. The gang's all here."

"Hey, Shady," Mako said, giving Shin a clap on the back. "How's things?"

"You know. Keeping busy. Come on through to the garage."

Mako followed Shin into the building. "So, you good with this?"

Shin shrugged. "Long as it's in a good cause and I don't get arrested, I don't mind going back to playing crook for a night."

"Who else did Medium pull in for the job?"

Shin hesitated, his hand on the door to the garage. "Yeah. About that..." He opened the door. Kuvira was in the garage, seated on the hood of a taxi reading a magazine. She looked up. "Hey, Haircut."

Mako sighed. "Of course," he said to himself. Louder, he added, "Hi, Kuvira."

"We've got to stop meeting like this. And I mean that most sincerely," she said.

"I think the Medium's a romantic and wants you two to get back together," Shin said.

Mako glared at him. Kuvira said, "Shut up, Shady. I'm missing a proper date for this." Shin just smiled.

"Anyway," Mako said loudly, "do you two understand the caper?"

"Pretty straightforward, I thought," Kuvira said. "We stage a break-in. Someone spots us. We make tracks. You, shining champion of law and order that you are, show up with a prime excuse to enter the place without a search warrant."

"I'm working the door," Shady added. "She's the getaway driver. Who's our witness?"

"Don't know," Mako said. "Medium said she'd pick someone none of us had worked with. Plausible deniability and all that. She'll confirm that they're in position, so call her before you make your move."

"Got it," Shin said. He threw an arm around Mako's shoulder. "The Boss is having you run an operation by yourself. My little buddy is all grown up now." Kuvira made a retching noise. Shady grinned at her. "Come on. Let's do some crimes."

* * *

 

Li's neighborhood wasn't far from Opal's. It wasn't fancy, but it was clean and safe. It was just the sort of place any respectable, single working woman would choose to live. The apartments here were over local businesses. Li's was located above a green grocer's that was of course closed at this time of night, but next door was a drugstore with a soda fountain that stayed open late. Opal walked in, ready for her part of the plan. The soda jerk looked up at the jingle of the bell over the door. "Pay phone?" Opal said.

"In the back," the man said with a jerk of his thumb.

In the booth, she dropped a coin in the slot and dialed a number.  It only took a few rings before she had an answer. " _Hello?_ "

Opal adopted a bored tone. "Miss Li? This is Sergeant Seo at police headquarters."

" _Oh, yes?_ " Li sounded wary, but that would probably be true of anyone getting a surprise call from the police.

"Yes, Ma'am. I'm calling on behalf of Detective Shokol. Will you be able to come in and speak to him? He has some questions about your statement."

" _My... statement?_ " Li sounded even more cautious and Opal grinned. If they'd been wrong, then Li's wariness should have given way to confusion at this point.

"Yes, Ma'am. This is Miss Ping Li, employed at Future Industries?"

" _Yes, it is._ "

Opal sighed and allowed a note of irritation to enter her voice. "And you did issue a statement recently to Mr. Yorru of the prosecutor's office?"

" _I... Well, yes_."

"Well, that's good. I'd hate to have called the wrong number by mistake."

" _But I didn't think... I mean I didn't expect to hear from you. Instead of the prosecutor._ " Opal could almost feel sorry for the woman. She didn't seem very good at the whole secrecy thing.

"I don't know anything about that, Ma'am." Opal gave another sigh for good measure. She imagined that her police alter ego was the sort who did her best to never know anything about anything. "The detective just gave me your number and told me to arrange for you to come in."

" _Tonight? It's getting late_."

"Oh, no Ma'am. Tomorrow morning will be fine. Can you come by? The detective can come to see you, but a lot of people find it awkward having a squad car roll up and everything."

" _That's fine. I can be there tomorrow morning. What was the name again?_ "

"Just ask at the desk for Detective Shokol. Goodnight, Ma'am." She hung up and exited the booth. "Thanks," she called the soda jerk.

This time he didn't even bother to look up at her. "Sure. Have a good one." He gave a little wave.

She left the drugstore and walked to the nearby alley. Bolin was standing at the entrance staring up at the wall deeper in the shadows. "You kind of look like you're up to no good," she said to him.

He jumped and turned to face her. "Don't do that."

She shrugged unapologetically. "What are you looking at?"

"She's up there just hanging onto the side of the building. How does she do that?"

Opal glanced up and could barely make out a human form near a second story window. She looked back to the street. "Maybe brick is earth-like enough that she can make her own handholds. You could probably ask her."

"Did you make the call," he said.

"Of course. She was right. Li's our baby."

"Wow," Bolin said. "How do you think she figured it out?"

Before Opal could answer there was a thud from the alley. She made herself not look. Her efforts at subtlety were spoiled by Bolin whirling around at the sound. "I was just telling Bolin, that Li admitted to being the witness," she said, still watching the passing traffic.

"I did wonder," the Avatar's voice said behind her. "Right after she got off the phone with you, she made another call. I couldn't hear exactly what she said, but she sounded upset. Now she's going out. Keep an eye out for a tall woman with long hair worn in a braid."

It was less than a minute before the street door opened and a woman matching Li's description stepped out. "That's a _very_ tall woman," Bolin said. "What do we do now."

"Now I follow her from the air," the Avatar said.

"And we follow on foot," Opal said. She linked arms with Bolin and pulled him out into the street.

"Be careful," the Avatar said with a trace of a sigh. Then there was a flapping sound of the masked woman's kite opening and a whoosh, followed by silence in the alley behind them.

Li's tall figure was easy to see, but Opal picked up her pace to try and close the gap. As they walked, Bolin said, "Boy, she's really amazing, the way she figured all this out. It's almost like she didn't need our help. Well, your help since you did all the work."

Opal couldn't help laughing. "Gee, thanks. I feel so good about my contribution now."

"Aw, you know I didn't mean it that way."

She patted his arm to reassure him. "Sometimes you need to work something through with others to actually get your thoughts to crystallize. I respect that. She might not have realized that was what she needed when she came to me. And even if she did, I'm sure not going to complain about being picked for her sounding board."

"I was wondering if maybe she was trying to cover for her source."

Opal gave him a sideways look. "Huh?"

He waved his free arm. "You know, the source she mentioned last night. The one who tipped her off that it was probably a frame."

She sighed. "Bo, there's no 'source.' She was talking about herself. She knows Tarrlok or Sato personally. Maybe both. That's what made her suspicious."

Bolin stared at her. "Really? Are you sure?"

Opal shrugged. "I'd lay odds."

"Who do you think she is then?"

"Who knows? My first guess was that she was in City Hall. She seemed to know more about the Tarrlok angle. But her suspecting Li ups the odds that Sato's her point of contact. There's no real way of knowing, and I don't really care."

She saw Bolin stare at her out of the corner of her eye. "You might have a lead on the Avatar's real identity, and you don't care?"

"No, Bo. I really don't. You know how many times you can tell the story 'Journalist Uncovers Masked Crime-Fighter's Secret Identity?' Exactly once. And no one with a secret would ever answer my questions again. Being a trusted source of a masked crime-fighter? Lots more stories there."

"That's kind of cynical." He sounded disapproving.

"More cynical than trying to expose the identity of someone I'm pretty sure is doing good, just to get a big headline?"

He was silent for a moment. "OK, you've got a point there."

"Thank you. Now can we stop talking about this? I don't want people noticing us. As far as anyone can tell, we're just a couple out for a stroll together."

Up ahead, Li had come to a halt at a streetcar stop. As they approached the stop, Opal started talking about her "co-worker" Jasmine from the florist shop. Fortunately, Bolin caught the gambit. "Have I met her? I can't keep all of them straight."

"Shy girl, pony tail, about my height. Anyway, she's way too talented at flower arrangement to just be an assistant. Mr. Kusaka is totally taking advantage of her." She started to describe Jasmine's work for a recent wedding. Li didn't so much as glance at them.

When the streetcar arrived, Li took a seat near the driver. Opal and Bolin sat near the rear door, so they could get off unnoticed whenever Li did. Although she doubted the woman could hear them, Opal kept up a flow of fake work gossip. Li got off near Republic City Park, and immediately headed through the big arch down the main promenade. Opal looked up at the sky. She couldn't see the Avatar anywhere, but it was hard to see much past the dazzle of the street lights. "We'd better keep after her, but now we'll have to keep out of sight," she said. "Follow my lead." Once in the park, she stepped off the path and walked in a crouch behind the ornamental bushes.

Li didn't go any farther than the central square. The woman sat on a bench with her back to the fountain in the center of the plaza. Opal and Bolin crouched behind the nearest bush to wait. Bolin started getting his camera ready, which he did in near silence.

The minutes dragged out, long enough for Opal to start to wonder if they'd been led on a wild goose chase. Then Li got to her feet. Opal followed her gaze. From the opposite end of the park came a man in a dark suit. Li stayed in place as he approached. As he stepped into the pool of light under the lamps surrounding the fountain, Opal recognized him. "That's Yorru, the prosecutor," she whispered.

"Is that so strange?" Bolin whispered back. "She's his witness."

"So why meet in secret late at night?"

As they watched, the Yorru and Li came together in an embrace and kissed. Li was tall enough that Yorru had to tip his head back, and he didn't look like a small man. The embrace stretched on long enough that Opal felt a little uncomfortable spying on them. She didn't dare look at Bolin's face.

Whatever he might think of the kiss, Bolin kept his mind on work. He tapped her on the arm and hefted his camera. "Now?" he mouthed.

Opal shook her head. "Not yet. I want to hear what they have to say." Her pencil hovered over her notepad.

Eventually the two broke the embrace and sat side by side on the bench. Li immediately told him about the phone call. Opal got everything down in her personal shorthand.  "After I hung up," Li said, "I realized I should have put her off. You said you were going to sit on my identity longer, but I wasn't sure if the police had pushed you into sharing, and you hadn't had a chance to tell me."

"I'm afraid they didn't get it from me. Someone's been doing their homework. Well, we knew it was a risk." Yorru stroked his beard. "It would have been best if you had kept going to work. Staying away attracts attention." His tone was one of gentle critique.

"I know." Li hunched her shoulders. "I thought I could do it. Keep up the pretense. But Sato's a good person. She doesn't just pretend to help people like the others. And I saw all those people I've been working with for months, starting to question her. It hit me harder than I dreamed. I wasn't pretending to be sick. I thought I was going to throw up. She doesn't deserve what we're doing to her."

Yorru sighed. "I know. That's why it had to be her. Sato believes the system works. She tries to do good but in doing so she drags others into her delusion. No one's surprised at Tarrlok being crooked. If we'd gone after him alone, we'd just be reinforcing the status quo ourselves. But take Sato down, and people will start asking questions. Shattering faith in her shakes people's faith in the whole rotten enterprise." He glanced at Li. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked it of you. I should have placed you with Tarrlok. I could have found someone else to be the inside person at Future Industries." He reached down and squeezed her hand.

"Just tell me it will work," Li said in a low voice.

"We'll make it work. You'll see. We'll tear it all down and then the world can start fresh." They looked into each other's eyes and Yorru reached up to touch Li's cheek.

Opal decided she had seen and heard enough. "Now," she said. Bolin took the shot. Startled by the flash, Li and Yorru turned to look their way. Opal was on her feet, pushing her way through the bushes. She heard Bolin behind her.

"Councilor," Opal said cheerfully. "Opal Beifong, Republic City Dragon-Sentinel. I attended your press conference the other day. I wondered if I could trouble you with a few follow-up questions. It seems you and Miss Li here have an association predating her coming forward about any alleged wrong doing by Miss Sato or Councilman Tarrlok. Indeed, the course of your remarks," Opal continued, making a show of consulting her notebook, "seems to suggest that you and Miss Li planned her 'exposure' of those two prior to her even being hired at Future Industries and also prior to any fires being set. Is that an accurate summary of the situation? It is a very suggestive set of circumstances. Do you have any comment?"

Li spoke in a low voice. "That's the woman who called me. I recognize her voice." She glared daggers at Opal. Opal gave her a sunny smile in return.

Yorru stepped forward, calmly straightening his tie. "Miss Beifong," he said. "I must decline you request for an interview. Although may I note that your actions tonight could bring you a lot of trouble? Interfering with an ongoing investigation and impersonating a police officer? Those are serious matters. I suggest you think carefully before you make public allegations based on... hearsay." He gave them a thin smile.

"What a load of crap!" Bolin said. Yorru looked unimpressed.

Opal shook her head. "He's right, Councilor. You know that won't wash. The photograph alone will be enough to make people look twice at both you and your case. Any allegations I'm thinking of making will be backed up by a lot more than hearsay."

Yorru sighed. "Yes, I suppose you're right." He reached into his coat and pulled out a gun. "I'm sorry," he said as he leveled it at her.

_Idiot_ , Opal thought to herself. _Of course these are people who would play for keeps_. "People at my paper know what I'm working on," she said.

"I'll take that chance," Yorru said.

The sound of a flashbulb going off behind her made her flinch. Yorru raised his empty hand to shield his eyes and his gun hand dipped momentarily.

Opal's aunt had once taught her how to deal with an armed attacker. She couldn't remember any details beyond the fact that trying to wrest the gun away was a good way to get shot. So she settled for stabbing Yorru in the hand with her pencil. She was rewarded with a yell of pain and a backhand blow to the head that made her stagger back and see spots. Hands grabbed at her, She fought to escape their grip until she realized it was Bolin trying to help her to her feet. The delay was enough that Yorru had pulled the pencil out of his hand and was turning the gun on them once again.

He didn't even have the decency to look angry.

With a roar like the sea, the water shot up out of the fountain behind Yorru. The noise was enough to make him frown and hesitate. The water came sheeting down between them and with a cracking noise solidified into a wall of ice. Yorru jerked the gun up and pulled the trigger. A spiderweb pattern of cracks formed in the ice, but it held firm. The Avatar dropped out of the sky to land on the pavement behind Yorru.

Opal hadn't seen the masked crime fighter truly unleash her power since the first night she had appeared to the public, and then she had been at a much greater distance. The markings that decorated the torso and mask of the Avatar's uniform glowed with their own light, and her eyes burned bright enough that they were hard to look at. Yorru spun round, turning his gun on the Avatar. Fire sprouted in her right hand and sprang forth at her gesture, engulfing Yorru's gun hand. He cursed and threw the weapon away.

Bolin yelled "Look out!" and pointed. Following his gaze, Opal saw Li closing fast on the Avatar. The Avatar twisted aside as the tall woman lashed out bare handed. A blow managed to land on the Avatar's left shoulder. Opal's eyes widened in dismay as she saw the crime fighter's arm go limp. The Avatar made a sweeping downward gesture with her good arm and launched herself off the ground with a roar of air. She spun sideways and aimed a kick at Li's head. The woman only half blocked the attack and staggered back.

A metallic click drew Opal's attention back to Yorru. His burned right hand was clenched, but in his left hand he now held a flick knife. The Avatar also noticed his return to the fight. She gestured upward sharply, and a brick rose from the ornamental pavement surrounding the fountain. It hovered at shoulder height for a moment. Then with a shoving gesture, the Avatar sent it flying at the prosecutor, who barely ducked in time. Opal heard a series of clicks from Bolin's camera.

She got down on her hands and knees and crawled past the ice shield to where Yorru had been standing when he had threatened them and started searching. There was nothing on the pavement, so she started groping around in the nearby grass. Finally, her hand touched something hard and metallic. She picked up Yorru's lost gun.

She looked back at the fight and saw that Yorru and Li had the Avatar surrounded. She was keeping them at bay with bursts of fire and flying stones, but they kept pressing her. As soon as she had driven one back, she had to turn her attention to the other. Her left arm still dangled limply. The two criminals pressed closer and closer. Soon, one of them would connect. She got into a crouch and raised the gun.

The Avatar glanced her way and met her gaze. And winked at her. After pushing Li away from her with a blast of air, the masked woman dropped to her knees and punched the ground. Ripples spread outward through the earth, causing both criminals to stagger. As she rose to her feet, the ground beneath her rose with her, propelling her up in a jump. She arced over Li's head, clearing the tall woman by nearly a full body length. She turned gracefully in mid-air, and landed facing both of her opponents. She reached out her good hand toward the ice shield. It melted and flowed through the air to her outstretched hand. The water formed into a tendril like a whip.

Opal let out of a sigh of relief, and lowered the pistol. Still, she should do something to help. She looked back toward the entrance to the park. It looked like a small crowd had gathered at the gateway and was looking in. _Let's make sure they know something's going on_. She pointed the gun at the ground, away from anyone, and fired. She kept firing until the trigger just clicked. Over the ringing in her ears, she thought she heard a scream from the distant street and then the sound of a police whistle.

The fight had frozen when Opal fired the gun. Li was the first to recover. She gave Yorru a shove and yelled, "We've got to get out of here." The two began to run deeper into the park. The Avatar lashed out with the water whip. It wrapped around Li's legs and froze solid. The woman fell to the ground with a grunt.

Yorru hesitated in his flight, calling out "P'Li!"

From the ground, she waved him on. "Run!" He took off into the darkness. The Avatar ran to where she had left her kite and flew off after him.

Opal looked at Li. The woman wouldn't be going anywhere quickly. She looked at Bolin. He was still holding his camera half at the ready, a stunned look on his face. She dropped the gun to the ground and held her hand up before her face. It was trembling. "I need to sit down." She let her legs give way and she plopped down on the grass. She heard the sound of footsteps pounding up the path from the gate. She turned to see a young police officer come running up, gun at the ready.

He looked around, somewhat bewildered. "What's going on here?"

"That," Opal said, "is a very long story." _And I'm going to have to get it all written down before the night's over_.

Between the two of them, Bolin and Opal managed a fairly coherent account of the night's events. Li stayed silent through the entire tale, which just seemed strange. If it had been her, Opal thought, she would have at least tried a token denial.

Of course, the cop seemed fairly skeptical on his own, so maybe Li didn't see the need to bother. "It all sounds a bit far fetched," he said.

"At least you've got to believe the Avatar was here," Bolin protested. "Where do you think the ice came from?" He gestured at Li.

Li spoke up for the first time. "Can you do something about getting it off of me? The cold is starting to hurt."

"Handcuff her first," Bolin suggested.

"Now just a minute..." the cop protested.

"I have no objection," Li said. She sounded tired.

Bolin and the police officer were trying to figure out a way to chip away the ice when the Avatar returned. She came to a landing by the fountain, took in the situation and said, "You're doing it the hard way." She made a gesture and the ring of ice imprisoning Li's legs melted into a puddle. Another gesture sent the water back into the basin of the fountain. The Avatar crouched down and looked at Li. "Your friend got away. Lost me in the dark. He's very good. As are you." Li said nothing.

"It was Yorru, the prosecutor," Opal said. "You probably didn't hear any of the things they talked about." She filled the Avatar in on what they had heard. The story was easier on the second telling. Or maybe she was feeling less frazzled.

The Avatar shook her head. "I just saw that he pulled a gun on you. Sorry for cutting that so fine by the way. I haven't mastered the balance of being sneaky and subtle. You two are pretty quick thinkers in a pinch."

Opal looked at Bolin. "Bo's the one who really saved our lives, blinding Yorru with the camera flash."

Bolin shuffled his feet and looked down. "But when the fight started, I just kept taking pictures, while you actually did something useful. I got obsessed with the story."

"Those pictures aren't just a story," the Avatar said. "They're evidence. You both did good. Trust me." She turned to the policeman. "Anyway, it's good that we've got a name. You need to get to a phone, call this in. Get your people out looking for Yorru."

"I can't just get the force out looking for someone on your say so," he objected.

"Weren't you listening?" The Avatar jerked her thumb at Bolin. "He's got proof on that camera that a city prosecutor threatened to kill them with a gun. If that's not enough for starters, I don't know what is."

"I guess you've got a point there," the cop said. He moved to help Li to her feet. "C'mon lady, we're going."

"And I'm going with you," the Avatar added.

The cop looked confused. "What? Why?"

"First off, I can keep an eye on her while you phone in. Second, you need my help for the search. One of the first places they'll look for him is his home, right?"

"Probably. So what?"

The Avatar folded her arms. "If we're right, we're going after the real man behind the wave of bombing and arson that's killed dozens of people so far. You want to bet the lives of your fellow officers that he didn't leave a nasty surprise for any unwelcome visitors?"

The cop paled. "I guess not. All right." He started leading Li toward the park entrance. The Avatar picked up her kite staff and followed on foot.

Opal didn't see any reason not to tag along until someone told her not to. She tugged Bolin's arm to get him to follow. "Your arm seems better," she said to the Avatar when she caught up.

The masked woman flexed her left hand. "Still tingles a little, but yeah it's going to be fine."

"What did she do to you?"

"Oh that? It's called chi-blocking. Think of it as combat acupuncture." She flexed her arm some more. "Two chi-blockers in less than a week," she continued in a quieter tone. "That's got to be some kind of record."

"You fought another chi-blocker?" Bolin said. "How many of them are there?"

"Fought? No. Met, yes. It was an unrelated thing." Her tone didn't invite further inquiry. "As for how many? I doubt there's a lot. It was developed in the last years of the Long War by a member of the Blue Fire. There's a nice bit of trivia for your paper."

"Ozai's terror squad?" Bolin's voice went up in pitch. "They're still around? Li's one of them?"

"Blue Fire? Unlikely. There's been, what, seventy years for someone else to figure it out? 'What one woman can invent another can discover.'"

"Wow."

"Don't be too impressed. I pinched the line from a Judge Dee mystery."

"No," Bolin said. "That's not what I meant."

"Just teasing," she said. "It is one more thing that shows these people are a lot more dangerous than we expected."

"I can't print that," Opal said. "About the chi blocking."

"Huh?" Bolin said. "Why not? That's interesting stuff!"

"Yeah, and the last thing she needs is more people knowing that it's possible."  Her eyes unfocused as she thought. "Maybe something like 'a practitioner of an obscure martial art, rarely in use since the end of the war.' That might be vague enough."

"Thank you," the Avatar said. "You know, you're not as cynical as you pretend to be."

"Yes I am. The longer you stay alive, the more stories you'll send my way."

The masked woman laughed. "Sure. Let's go with that."

* * *

 

There was already a patrol car on the scene, as well as several bystanders, when Mako got to the warehouse. He flashed his badge to the officers. "I was in the neighborhood when the call came through," he said. "What's the story?"

"This gentleman," the officer said, pointing to an elderly man who was talking to the other policeman, "came across a man jimmying the side door of this building. He raised the alarm, the man ran away. Had an accomplice waiting in a car, so they're long gone. A night watchman from one of the other buildings heard the commotion and called it in. And here we all are."

The old man stomped over to them. "What's this world coming to?" he said to Mako. The officer who had been interviewing the old man rolled his eyes. "I've lived in this city my whole life, and you used to be able to walk the streets at night." The man launched into a tirade on what was wrong with the youth of today and how no one looked after their neighbors anymore and how everyone was after a quick buck and he wouldn't be surprised if they were all murdered in their beds some day and what did they pay high taxes for anyway?

"Spirits alone know," muttered one of the cops.

"Eh, what's that?" the old man said.

"Yes, it's a great shame," Mako interrupted. "If only more citizens took their responsibilities as seriously as you do, I'm sure our jobs would be much easier. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to examine the damage done." He gestured for the first cop to lead the way. It might be just a bit suspicious if he went directly to the correct door without prompting. The second cop tagged along. He should technically have stayed to formally complete getting the witness's statement, but Mako couldn't really blame him for not wanting to listen to another speech about how the old days were better. He would have to pass along his complements through the Medium. At least he hoped that the "witness" had been putting on an act.

Shady had also done good work. The warehouse door swung open at Mako's touch. He glanced at the officers. "How sure are we that no one has been inside yet?"

They exchanged glances. "Well, the old man thought that the perp was working the lock when he saw him and yelled out, but it is pretty dark here. He might have been mistaken."

"Looks like he was long done working the lock," Mako said. "We'd better take a look inside." The officers nodded. Mako sent one of them to get flashlights from their squad car. The trio entered the darkened warehouse.

Mako shone his flashlight around until he found a light switch. He flipped it and far overhead there was a buzz of electricity. As the light grew brighter he looked around the space, getting a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he did so.

Along one wall was a workbench. It had an assortment of tools: wire cutters, soldering irons, and the like. There were also a few bottles of chemicals, mostly empty. There wasn't any sign of what had been built there, but Mako felt he could have guessed even if he hadn't been expecting it. The rest of the warehouse was filled with crates and boxes. It looked like most of them had already been opened. There were a few oil drums that had been pressed into service as garbage cans, and they were filled to the top with packing materials.

"What the heck went on here?" one of the cops said.

Mako wasn't ready to answer yet. "Look around. See if any of these boxes are still packed or if they're all empty." He started digging through the nearest ones, looking for packing lists or shipping labels.

The officers didn't take long in their search. "Looks like they're all empty, sir. Kind of makes you wonder where all the stuff went."

Mako ran a hand over his face. "Yeah, it sure does."

"So do you know what all this was for?"

He took a deep breath. "From what I can tell from the labels, the stuff that came in all of these crates is exactly what you would need to build fire bombs."

The two officers stared at him. "You mean like what's been used for starting all the fires?" one asked. Mako nodded.

The second officer grinned. "Hey, that's going to look good for us, even if we did find it by accident."

"I'll be sure to put in a commendation on your work," Mako said.

The first cop gave him a worried look. "You don't seem so happy, sir."

"Well, I'm not an expert. But judging from the size and number of crates, I'd guess that there was enough stuff here to make maybe three times as many bombs as what we already know about. Like you said, kind of makes you wonder where they've all got to."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True confessions of pure self-indulgence. The line "What one man can invent another can discover," actually comes from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Adventure of the Dancing Men." Judge Dee is a character from a Chinese detective novel, loosely based on a historical figure, and seemed more thematically appropriate to transplant into my version of the Avatar-verse.


	19. Calm

It was well after midnight when Mako got back to police headquarters. The building was a lot busier than he expected. He frowned in puzzlement. As he stood looking at the bustling lobby, a familiar voice called out his name. He turned, to see his brother Bolin bearing down on him from the direction of the bank of pay phones. "Hey, bro!" Bolin said, giving him a hug. "Isn't it exciting. Opal and me were right there in the thick of it. It was so awesome!"

Mako pulled free. "Bolin, what are you talking about? What are you doing here?" It was too late at night for this sort of thing.

"You mean you don't know? I thought for sure they must have pulled you in because of everything that was going down. I mean that's what they've been doing with most of the detectives. So if you don't know, what are you doing here?"

"I asked you first," Mako said. _And there is no way_ , he thought, _that I'm letting you get hold of a story the Chief hasn't heard first_.

"Oh, yeah. I guess you did. It was the Avatar! She caught the people really behind the arson attacks!" Bolin paused and frowned. "I guess technically she caught one and the other one got away. And she did get a lot of help from Opal. And a little from me, I guess. Although she probably didn't need much help. She's really amazing, you know that?"

With a great deal of effort, Mako kept from shaking his brother and said in a quiet voice. "Bolin, could you please explain what happened to you tonight slowly, clearly, and quietly?"

Bolin told the story with lots of big hand gestures and side comments, but eventually Mako got a clear idea of what had happened. "The Avatar went off with the officers who were going to check out Yorru's place, and Opal and me got brought back here to give our statements. They just got done with us, and Opal's calling in the story." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at one of the phone booths. "It'll be a scramble, but we've got a scoop for the front page of the morning edition. Opal let me say 'Stop the presses!' over the phone to editor Moon. My pictures won't get in. They're being treated as evidence, so your people are keeping hold of the negatives, but we'll get prints in time for the evening edition."

Mako rubbed at his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. "That's swell. You'll get everyone to buy two copies of the Dragon tomorrow."

"Hey, yeah. That's right. Man, Mako, this is the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me."

"That's nice, bro." He patted Bolin on the shoulder. "I've got to get going. Still a lot to do tonight. Congratulations." He turned to go.

"Hey, wait a minute. What did bring you in tonight? You didn't say."

"Sorry, Bolin. Not before the Chief clears it for public consumption. Later." He fled before his brother could try to pump him for more information.

The squad room was as busy as the lobby. Mako was barely through the door, when Lu called to him from across the room. "Hey, Hotshot!" He waved Mako over. "Heard about your call. Man, you're like a walking good news, bad news story."

Mako shrugged. "Maybe I'm wrong about the number of bombs. We can unleash the lab boys on the place tomorrow. They'll know better than me. I ran into my brother out there and heard about the excitement the rest of you have been having."

"Yeah, it never rains but it pours. C'mon through. Chief'll want to talk to you." They walked back toward the interrogation rooms.

"What's in the file?" Mako asked.

Lu made a face. "Morgue photos of some of the fire victims. Gao wants to show them to the suspect. See if it'll shake her up."

"That's... I don't know what that is. Doesn't sound like Gao."

"I think this dame's getting under his skin. Like he's not just playing the Heavy, you know?" Lu shook his head. "I hope we don't have to pull him out."

"Who's playing the Friendly?"

"Lang. You can tell she's worried about Gao too. She's keeping him in the background more than usual." Lu pushed open the door to the observation room. "Mako's here, Chief." He waved Mako in.

The Chief stood facing the one way glass looking into the interrogation room. She glanced over her shoulder and nodded at him. Past her, he could see a tall woman seated at the table, handcuffs on her wrists and an impassive expression on her face. Detective Lang sat opposite the woman, her back to the window. Gao was pacing the room, circling the table. Judging from the way Gao's jaw twitched when he was out of the prisoner's line of sight, Lu was right to be worried about his friend's state of mind.

Lin was talking to a man Mako vaguely recognized as being from the Public Defender's office. "I don't think she's competent to make decisions about her own defense," he was saying.

Lin gave him a look like she'd found something with too many legs crawling in her salad. "The suspect fired you and waived her right to have council present while we question her. If you want to listen in from out here, I won't stop you. You want to get a judge to force her to have representation, knock yourself out. Right now, she's within her rights to kick you out of the room and keep talking to us, if that's what she wants. I'm not putting my investigation on hold just because she's not behaving the way you want her to. Now either get out, or sit down and shut up."

The man sputtered for a few seconds before walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Lin sighed and shook her head. She turned her attention back to the one-way glass. Without looking his way, she waved Mako forward to stand next to her. "You wanted to talk to me, Chief?" he said.

She gave Mako a sideways glance. "I understand you had something of an exciting evening yourself, Detective."

"The excitement was pretty much over before I got there, Chief."

"I also understand that you were chasing down a lead that the unfortunate young man from the other night knew something about where the arsonist made his bombs."

Mako swallowed, hoping that Beifong didn't notice. He hadn't exactly advertised that he was looking into young Hamura, let alone that he had information to tie the kid to the fire-bug. Asking her how she had found out seemed like a really bad idea. "I had a tip. I hadn't really finished running it down."

"So it was really lucky that someone just happened to get spotted breaking in there."

"I guess it was," he said. He had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

She looked him straight in the eye. "I don't like luck, Detective."

"No, Chief."

"You're not going to be that lucky again, are you, Mako?"

He licked his lips. "I think the odds against it are overwhelming." Beifong turned back to the window with a nod, apparently satisfied. Mako decided to take a chance. "So what have we got here?"

"Sato's personal assistant. She has admitted to working with Councilor Yorru to frame Sato and Tarrlok for the fires."

Mako felt his jaw drop. "You're kidding."

Lin gave him a look. "Is that something I do? So far she's maintaining that the two of them were just taking advantage of the situation and denies any part in setting the fires herself."

"Does that seem very likely?"

"No, but we may have to be happy with the bird in the hand. We'll see if your discovery tonight can be tied back to either of them."

"Why on earth did they do it?"

"Well, that's where it gets interesting. She claims that she was out for revenge. Sato's old man supposedly ruined her father. Plausible. He was a pretty ruthless businessman. Going after the daughter when she can't get at the father isn't that strange either. Petty, but not unusual. She says Yorru was looking to build his political career on Tarrlok's downfall. Also plausible."

Mako nodded. While the whole thing sounded insane, it sounded like a sort of insanity he was used to. "It sounds like there's a 'but' coming up."

Beifong grunted. "The 'but' is that we've got a couple of witnesses who listened in on a conversation between them, and they sounded like they had grander ambitions than a little family payback and a City Council election."

"Who are the witnesses?" Mako asked, with an uneasy feeling that he already knew the answer.

"Your brother and my niece."

Mako sighed. "That's not going to be awkward at all."

"It's not going to be for you, because you're not talking to them about it. You're on the paper trail. Track down who owns that warehouse." She looked at him again. "Clean and by the book, Detective. Are we clear?"

He nodded. "As crystal." He took a breath. "Any objection to my mentioning what I found to Two-Toed Ping? His reaction might be interesting."

Beifong frowned thoughtfully and nodded. "Make sure his lawyer's there."

* * *

 

The warder came by Asami's cell first thing in the morning. At first, Asami assumed that the police had more questions, and that asking them before breakfast was a ploy to take her off her guard. Instead, she was escorted to the property room at the entrance of the jail. Suyin Beifong was there waiting for her. "Here you go." The lawyer handed her a box that contained the clothes she had worn on the day of her arrest, as well as her other effects.

Asami looked in the box and back at Suyin. "Are we going somewhere?"

"You're getting out. Someone decided to go ahead with the whole 'unmask the actual criminal' plan, and it turns out it actually works. Who knew?"

"You're kidding."

Suyin gave her a crooked smile. "As of right now, I'm no longer drawing an hourly fee from one of Republic City's richest women. I don't joke about things like that."

Asami accepted the box and retired to a side room to change. The warder didn't follow her in. The fact that they didn't feel a need to keep an eye on her any more made her realize that this was really happening. Once she was done, the warder handed her a form to sign, confirming that all her possessions had been returned to her. Asami went down the list carefully, signed the form, and handed it back. The warder accepted the clip board and opened the door leading out of the jail. The woman probably hadn't said more than twenty words since fetching Asami from her cell.

"Well, goodbye," Asami said, giving her a wave. The warder grunted, but gave her a nod before closing the door again.

"If you want to lay a suit against the City for false arrest," Suyin said, "You would probably have a case. I'm sure my firm would be happy to handle it."

A woman in plain clothes was approaching them in the hall as the lawyer spoke, and gave the two of them a scowl at the words. Asami wondered if the remark had been timed to be overheard. "I'll take that under advisement."

The two parted company in the lobby, Suyin having more business in Police Headquarters. Asami stepped out into the sunlight and took a deep breath. There was a bit of a nip to the air still, but she didn't really care. Someone shouted her name. Asami looked and saw Korra waving to her from the bottom of the steps, a big grin on her face. Asami started down the steps as quick as she could, and Korra came up to meet her at the halfway point, greeting her with a big hug.

"What are you, psychic or something?" Asami asked, laughing. "I didn't know I was getting out until ten, twenty minutes ago."

"Yes, but a lot of other people knew before you did, and at least three of them decided I should know too."

Asami raised an eyebrow. "At least three?"

Korra laughed. "My phone started ringing about an hour ago. I got two more calls before I got out the door. There was a fourth one coming in just as I was leaving, but I decided it was probably also about you, and if it wasn't I didn't care. How about I treat you to breakfast?"

Asami took Korra's hand and let herself be lead down the street. "Breakfast sounds lovely. Who are the three that I have to thank for you being here?"

"Well your woman Yin takes the prize for first place. I guess she heard from your lawyer, on the theory that you might need transportation. We agreed you could call her from the diner."

"I had already been planning to give her a raise. Who else?"

"Well, Kya, one of the doctor's from the emergency room happens to be married to the chief of police. Lin and I go to the same gym, so I think she might have tipped Kya off on purpose. I've always suspected Lin of being a secret softy."

"I hadn't noticed it myself in our brief acquaintance, but that is sweet. They didn't apologize for locking me up, but if she did that, all is forgiven."

"Finally, there was Bolin. He seems to have some sort of inside knowledge on the whole thing that he was not able to coherently explain. It sounded exciting, though."

"I'm still light on details myself," Asami said. "I gather that someone else has been arrested instead. Other than that, I was told to check the morning papers."

"Well, I'm sure we'll see a newsstand on the way. What do you want for breakfast?"

Asami thought for a moment. "Anything but porridge."

"I think we can swing that. I know just the place, not far from here."

Asami linked arms with her as they walked. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all," Korra said, giving her hand a squeeze. "We don't have to worry about anyone yelling 'No touching,' at us." They walked on in silence for a while, Asami enjoying their closeness. Korra cleared her throat. "I hope it wasn't too bad. That sounds kind of stupid, but..."

"No, I get it. It wasn't so bad. It was clean. I didn't get any grief from the guards or the other prisoners."

"When I visited before, I heard some talk about needing to protect you from angry citizens. It did worry me some."

"Well, I do know a little bit of self-defense, but it's better not to need it. Oh, let's talk about something else. I want to enjoy being out. Tell me what's been up with you for the past few days."

Korra smiled and ducked her head. "Oh, you know. Pretty much normal stuff."

* * *

 

Opal had only had four hours of sleep, and she was still up before her alarm. What she had dictated over the phone last night was good enough for a late-breaking-news blurb in the morning edition, but Moon would expect a much longer, more polished article for the evening. Her fingers were itching to get to her typewriter. She dressed, ate a hasty breakfast, grabbed her hat, and headed for the door. She opened her door and found her Aunt Lin standing in the hallway about to knock. They stared at each other for a second or two, and Lin said, "You're awake already. Good. That saves time."

"You're up early yourself," Opal said brightly.

"I'm up late. This is my last stop before going home to get a few hours sleep."

"I was just heading in to work myself," Opal said, hoping against hope that her aunt would go away.

"I'll give you a lift," Lin said and stepped back making an after-you gesture.

"Oh. Good." She stepped out and locked her apartment door. They walked down the hallway.

"All alone?" Lin asked. "I wondered if I might have to make myself pleasant to that photographer friend of yours."

It took a couple seconds for Opal to work through the full implications of the remark. "Aunt Lin!"

Lin shrugged, looking unapologetic. "Adrenaline can be a great ice-breaker. I don't know what you're still waiting around for. It's obvious you like the boy."

"Is this what the Chief of Police came here to talk to me about?"

"The Chief of Police found out everything she needed to know from you last night. I'm here as your aunt." _Worse luck for me_ , Opal thought but kept silent. "So answer the question," Lin continued.

Opal ground her teeth. "You didn't ask a question. You made a series of statements."

Lin stopped at the stairwell and looked at her, arms folded. "And you're smart enough to know what I mean and will probably be even more embarrassed if I do ask you straight out, so what's your gripe?"

Opal put up her hands in surrender. "All right. Yes, I like Bo a lot. Happy now?" She started down the stairway. "But he's got these way out romantic notions, I just don't know if it's the real me he's interested in."

"Of course he's not interested in the 'real you.' That's all right. You're not interested in the 'real him' either. Because neither of you know who the other one really is. That's what being in love is. It's a delusion. But it gets you close enough to the person that you start to learn who they really are. If you still want to be with them once you have learned the thousand and one things that make them a truly annoying human being, that's real love."

"Aunt Kya must _really_ love you then," Opal muttered. "I'm not sure a thousand and one covers it." Lin ignored the remark and pushed open the door to the street. She headed for a car parked right in front of Opal's building. "You put off getting sleep to come here and pester me about my love life?" Opal added as she followed her aunt.

"No, I'm here because of the other person you were running around with last night."

"Oh, here we go. You sure I'm not talking to the Police Chief?"

"Am I in the habit of lying to you? If you don't trust me, there's your street car stop right over there. Otherwise, get in the damn car and let me finish."

Opal looked down at her feet. "Sorry." She climbed into the passenger seat.

Lin started the car and pulled out into traffic. "I'm not looking to start an argument about whether the woman is a hero or a vigilante. And whatever I think of her methods in general, I have to admit that last night this Avatar did us a big favor. She uncovered the people who need to be in jail, actually caught one for us, and she didn't mess up our chances at a successful prosecution."

"Caught one. So is Yorru still at large?"

"If I'm not Chief of Police right now, you don't get to be Ace Reporter."

Opal nodded. "Fair enough."

"There will be a press conference after I've had some shut-eye. You can bug me for details then." Lin frowned. "I've lost my train of thought."

"You're not going to argue about whether the Avatar is a good thing or not," Opal prompted.

"Right." Lin paused as she turned onto a cross street. "What I hope you'll see is that she is a dangerous person to be around." She held up a hand before Opal could speak. "I'm not saying that she is personally dangerous to you. But she sticks her nose in dangerous situations. And it's pretty clear you have hopes that last night is the start of some sort of ongoing arrangement."

"I'd be crazy not to," Opal said. "You're not going to ask me to turn her away if she comes to me again, are you?"

Lin snorted. "As if that would have a hope in hell of working. No. I am reminding you that you are not bullet proof. And since you will probably forget that simple fact anyway, you are going to start coming to my gym, and you are going to let me and Bumi and whoever else I can rope in teach you how to defend yourself. And this time you will pay attention."

"But I don't have time..."

"You will make time. If I can manage it, you can."

Opal sighed. "All right. I guess it makes sense."

Lin glanced at her. "Really? I was expecting more of an argument. Maybe you've got more sense than I realized."

"Don't spoil it. What would you have done if I'd been stubborn?"

"Oh, I would have started with the carrot before bringing out the stick. I've got a pretty good one."

"So what do I get?"

"No, no. You've already agreed. I don't need the carrot anymore."

"Don't I deserve a reward for not being as aggravating as you thought I'd be?"

Lin snorted. "I was going to talk to your mother, tell her she needed to take control of you, forbid you from having anything further to do with the Avatar."

"That was your carrot?"

"Of course. Right now your mother is on the warpath, ready to give you all sorts of grief about how reckless you are. But if I criticize her for not keeping you in line, she'll be right in there defending your right to live your life as you see fit."

Opal laughed. "The scary thing is that sounds like it would work." She thought for a moment. "You haven't done anything like that with her before, have you?"

"That would be telling," Lin said, the hint of a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth.

They rode in silence for a while. "Why don't you like the Masks?" Opal said. "The Avatar. The Ghost too. They do a lot of good."

"They can also cause a lot of trouble. We can't always prosecute the people they go after."

"Yeah, but if it's a choice between a crime being stopped by one of them and it not being stopped at all, isn't it better to have someone who can and will do something?"

"It depends. I have to follow rules. The whole force does. And if we don't, there are people we'll have to answer to. Sometimes it's a pain in the butt. Sometimes it stops us from getting things done. But it also means the people have some protection from us. If anything, this whole sorry affair shows how much damage someone in the system can cause if they decide to go after someone innocent. But Yorru at least was forced to try to manipulate the system. If your Avatar decides she doesn't like someone, who's going to stop her? Who does she answer to?"

Opal bit her lip. "I don't know. But I don't think she'd do something like that."

"I don't think I'd do something like that either. But people deserve more protection than trust in my good will. And I can't throw rocks or set fires with the power of my mind." Lin sighed. "I said I wasn't going to argue about this."

Opal waved the remark away. "My fault. I brought it up and dragged you into it."

"I'll admit," Lin said, "that I'm grateful that she seems to respect the police. She said nice enough things about us to you. It was gracious of her to say that we would have uncovered the truth and she just saved us time. Between you and me, I'm not one hundred percent sure we would have. The fake paper trail was very well crafted." Lin glanced sideways at Opal. "Did she really say those things, or was that you being diplomatic on her behalf?"

"I don't make up quotes," Opal said. "If she had said something rude about the department, I might have kept quiet about it to preserve peace. No, that's what she actually said on the matter. And I don't think she was just being polite. If I'm any judge, that's what she really thinks."

Lin grunted. "I wonder why."

"Maybe she knows a cop. She seems very well connected."

"I noticed that. If I didn't have a reliable witness who had seen the two of you side by side, I'd suspect she was you. Or you were her. Whichever."

"Me? That's ridiculous." Lin just arched an eyebrow. "If nothing else," Opal said, "I'm at least three inches shorter than her."

"Which no one would know if you hadn't been seen next to her by said reliable witness. You've got to admit, reporter would be a pretty good cover story for a mystery woman. As long as you got your stories in on time, no one would wonder at you disappearing for hours on end. And, no that is not an invitation for you to put on a mask of my own."

"I wouldn't dream of it. I want to tell the news, not make it."

"Yes, well please keep it that way," Lin said. "I'm going to lose enough sleep over you as it is."

* * *

 

Korra waited in the dark and tried to calm her breathing. She shifted her bare feet along the cool concrete floor, searching for the least sign of her opponent. She sensed a vibration to her left and lashed out with a high kick, but didn't connect with anything. She stepped back on her recovery and felt out for vibrations again. There was another tremor, in front and to the right. This time she tried a combo of punches, again to no avail. Grimacing, she squared up again. She waited, almost holding her breath. The next sign she felt was almost right behind her. _Hell_...

She whirled, but before she could move into an attack, she felt a light tap on the nose. "Beep," came Pema's voice.

"Dammit," Korra said, and pulled off her blindfold. She saw Pema standing before her smiling, index finger still poised a few inches from her face.

"You're getting better," Pema said.

Korra shook her head. "Yeah, but I'm still a long way from being good."

"Which is why you're practicing. You sensed which way I was coming from, but you reacted too soon. Give yourself time to get a sense of distance to your opponent."

"I know, I know. I need to work on patience. As usual."

"'Spirits grant me patience, and could you do it today?' As long as you keep working on it, it will come." Pema glanced at her watch. "But I think that is enough working on it for tonight. Come upstairs and have some tea."

Korra put on her shoes and followed Pema upstairs. She sat down at the kitchen table and watched the older woman prepare the tea. Pema glanced up from her preparations. "You look chipper." Korra realized she was grinning. That had been happening a lot over the past few days.

"Yeah, I guess I am. I mean, I wish I'd done better with tonight's training, but I really do believe I'll get there. The way things have been going recently, I guess I feel like I'm finally getting the hang of all this."

Pema smiled. "I think exposing dangerous criminals and uncovering a conspiracy counts as a bit better than 'getting the hang of it.'"

Korra leaned back in her chair and put her hands behind her head. "Yeah, I guess it does."

Pema's smile turned a little sly. "I'm sure freeing your girlfriend from jail doesn't hurt either. Of course, I'm surprised you're not with her enjoying her gratitude."

"Pema," Korra said, tutting a little. "Did anyone ever tell you, you have a dirty mind?"

Pema pretended to look thoughtful. "I believe you have, once or twice." She brought the tea tray over to the kitchen table and handed Korra her cup.

Korra took a drink of her tea. "We had a nice breakfast date on the morning she was released, before I had to go to work. Last night we went to a little jazz club. Tonight, she wanted a restful evening at home, and I don't blame her. Besides, it's not like she knows that she has anything to be grateful for. With me, I mean. I guess I'll have to tell her eventually. About the whole Avatar thing." Her brows knit at the thought. "That'll be awkward."

Pema sipped from her cup, a thoughtful look on her face. "So you're thinking long term with her."

"I guess I am. It feels right. Don't worry. I'm not going to rush in to telling her."

Pema shook her head. "I wasn't worried about that. I'm glad to see you thinking about these things. The mission you've taken on for yourself is noble, but it shouldn't be at the cost of your personal life. I'm glad you're looking for balance. In the brief time I knew Aang, being the Avatar seemed to be the only thing in his life. I guess I don't need to tell you that."

Korra gave her a crooked smile. "He has given me some don't-make-my-mistakes sort of advice on the subject. Don't know if it will actually make things easier."

Pema nodded over her tea cup. "That's probably a better approach than assuming you have it all figured out."

Korra tossed back the last of her tea. "I should get going. I want to get in some patrol time before I hit the hay. Give the kids a kiss for me."

Flying over the city, Korra thought about the past few days. Yorru remained at large, which was worrying. Korra didn't have the first idea about how she'd go about finding someone who had gone to ground. She wondered what the Ghost might do about the problem. She was probably out there somewhere, Kya's prescribed rest period being over. How to get in touch with her was the question.

Movement on the street below her captured her attention. A man stepped out of an alleyway, glanced around, and then walked briskly down the street. Korra frowned. Everything about how the man moved screamed "guilty secret." But what could he have to be guilty about? This wasn't a neighborhood she spent a lot of time patrolling. There just wasn't much crime here. It was all small businesses that shuttered their doors in the early evening. Fancy enough that they didn't have apartments overhead to create night-time foot traffic, but not so fancy as to attract cat burglars or smash-and-grab men.

Best to check the alley. Right now, she had nothing to pin on the man, no matter how suspicious he seemed. And it might be nothing more spectacular than a man with a long walk ahead relieving himself where he shouldn't. She touched down in the alley and summoned a flame in her hand to light her surroundings.

The local businesses seemed to take some effort to keep even their alleys tidy. So the large box shoved up against one of the doorways grabbed her attention right away. She had a nasty suspicion of what she would find inside. The man would be getting farther away with every second, but if her fears were right, Korra couldn't afford to rush. And catching the man would be a second priority.

She extinguished her flame and crouched near the box, laying a hand on the ground right next to it. It was faint, but she could feel a regular vibration come up from the pavement. Like the ticking of a clock. Moving slowly, she lifted the lid of the box, stood and took a step back. Holding her hand high and as far away from the box as possible, she summoned another flame.

In the glare she could see the contents clearly. A mass of wires, batteries, and other things that didn't recognize. And on top, hooked in with all the rest, a wind up alarm clock ticked away. She could see the time it was set for and guessed she had less than ten minutes before it was due to go off.


	20. Republic City is Burning

"OK. This looks a bit more complicated than replacing the plug on a lamp." Korra stared at the device, her mind racing. She wasn't going to spontaneously learn how to disarm a bomb in the next few minutes. She also wasn't going to find someone else to hand the problem off to. So how would she keep it from doing damage when it went off?

"Step one, move it away from the building." She rubbed her jaw. In the radio plays, these things always had some gizmo that would detect tampering. Korra didn't want to find out the hard way that this wasn't just fantasy. Slow and steady was the key. She ran her hand over the concrete next to the box. It was as smooth as you could expect from pavement. Dragging something heavy across it would still set up a lot of vibrations. "Let's see if we can't do something about that."

She hefted her flask. There was no way it could hold enough water for what she needed. She reached out with her awareness as far as it could reach. The storm sewer. The last rain was recent enough that it wasn't dry, and there was a grate nearby. She started pulling the water to her. As it came flowing toward her from the mouth of the alley, she smiled at the thought of how it would look to a passerby. Probably best that there weren't any.

Slowly, she started to force the water to flow underneath the box. It was a tricky balance. The bomb was too heavy to float, but things only sank because they could push the water out of the way. As long as she didn't let that happen, she could lift the box up, just a little. She touched the ground again. She couldn't feel the bomb's tick so clearly now. It was isolated from the ground by a cushion of water. She froze the lower half of the cushion and extended the ice sheet out to the middle of the alley. "Now as long as I didn't just freeze you in place..." She grasped the box an gave a careful tug. She grinned to herself as it slid easily and smoothly away from the wall. She still needed to go careful, concentrating on maintaining the water cushion between the box and the ice, but soon she had the box positioned halfway between the two buildings.

Korra sighed with relief and relaxed, releasing the water from her command. Most of it flowed back down the alley toward the gutter, and soon she could hear the noise of it trickling back into the sewer. She took a deep breath. "No time to rest on your laurels. Time for step two."

There was no way that this next part would happen without some vibrations. She grimaced. She'd just have to do her best and hope. Korra took a deep breath and reached out with her hands and pulled upward. Slowly, with a great deal of rumbling, walls of concrete started to rise up out of the ground on all sides of the bomb. It was hard to feel the tick of the timer over the grating of the shifting earth, but at least nothing disastrous had happened yet. She kept pulling steadily.

When the walls had grown taller than the box, she started to push her hands together, forcing the walls to curve inward, forming them into a dome. She was so close to being finished, she really had to discipline herself not to rush. As she watched the hole at the top to shrink down smaller and smaller, she kept expecting to see the flash of the explosion. When the opening disappeared from sight and she felt the dome seal shut, she stood staring for a moment, not quite believing she'd done it. She stepped forward and felt the dome first with her earthbending and then with her airbending. Tight as a drum.

She dropped down to sit on the ground and waited for her heart to stop racing. She grinned. "Ha! Burn your way out of that." She chewed at her lip as a thought occurred to her. "Of course, if I'm wrong, and you were designed to blow up the building instead of setting it on fire, then I'm in trouble." Before she could get up to move to a safe distance, she felt the vibrations of the alarm clock going off followed by a much larger and sharper vibration. One she would probably have noticed even without her earthbending. The dome of concrete around the bomb stayed intact however. She held out a hand toward it, and sensed fire within. And then almost as quickly, the fire vanished, starved of fresh air by the barrier around it.

"Probably better leave it sealed up, until I can get the professionals in. Who knows what crazy chemicals that thing uses." Nodding to herself, she snapped her kite open and took to the air. Surely she could either find a beat cop or a pay phone without too much trouble.

As she flew over the streets, she became aware of an acrid smell on the breeze. Frowning, she took her kite higher and scanned the skyline. A few blocks away she saw a plume of smoke rising above the buildings. And then another off to the left a bit further away. And a third. She wheeled in a circle and counted perhaps half a dozen more. "Merciful spirits," she whispered. Then she heard the sirens.

Korra summoned the winds and rode upward, until she was at least twice as high as the tallest buildings in the city. She turned her eyes back earthward. She could see fires across the entire city. "What am I going to do?" She could pick the nearest fire and go help the fire brigade out. She could speed up the time it took them to fight it so they could move on to another one. And so could she.

That wasn't going to do it. Oh, it would be better than nothing, but a lot of the city would still burn. Maybe if the experiments she had done with Captain Ito and his crew had worked... She stopped, arrested by a thought. She wheeled around and looked out to Yue Bay. It might work, but she was going to need help. And she knew just who to ask.

Korra tucked into a dive and summoned a tail wind for good measure. She made her best speed toward a certain apartment building just off of the warehouse district.

* * *

 

" _Mayor Raiko has announced a State of Emergency for the city. A curfew is in effect for all neighborhoods not currently threatened by the fires. We ask all citizens to remain in their homes as long as it is safe to do so. Obey all instructions from the police, fire brigade, or other emergency personnel. We will continue with updates as they become available. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program, currently in progress, the Adventures of M-_ " Lin turned off the radio. Well, that was done. Hopefully, Raiko wouldn't get shirty about her using his name to get the curfew announced. Since it made him look decisive and in command, she was willing to bet he would let it slide.

"Chief?" Lin turned to the dispatch operator who had spoken. "We're starting to get responses from off-duty officers. Only about a dozen so far. We're having them reinforce crowd control in residential areas."

Lin nodded. "Good job. Keep coordinating with the fire department and stick to the assignment priorities we laid out. If you need me, I'll be down in the jail for the next few minutes."

The operator stared at her, but just said, "Yes, Chief."

The warders were equally surprised to see her show up at the processing desk. She took one warder back with her to the women's cells. Li was lying down in her cell, but wasn't asleep when they arrived. She looked wary as the door was opened and the warder put handcuffs on her. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"Don't worry," Lin said. "Someplace with witnesses." She escorted her prisoner to the switchboard room. Everyone stared as they entered. She saw Li stiffen for a second and then go blank, hiding behind the same facade she had worn during all her interrogations. Lin sat her down in a chair next to the wall and hand-cuffed her to the radiator. She then turned her attention to the operators, catching up on any developments from the past few minutes. She would let Li stew for the time being.

The prisoner was quiet at first. But as the minutes wore on, Lin could hear her shift in her seat more and more frequently. Lin allowed herself a tight smile, but continued to pay the woman no attention. Finally, Li spoke up saying, "What am I doing here?"

"You're where I can keep an eye on you," Lin answered.

"Why do you need to keep an eye on me? Not that you've looked at me once since dragging me in here."

Lin turned to face her. She frowned and folded her arms. "I am cautioning you, again, that anything you say may be used in evidence against you." Li's eyes widened, but she said nothing. "Your friends set fire to my city," Lin continued. She pointed to dispatch map on the wall. "See that? Every red push pin shows a fire that was started tonight."

Li stared straight ahead. She was very good, but Lin caught her eyes flicker toward the map. "So you say."

"Yes, I do. And it occurs to me to wonder why." That made Li actually look her in the eye. "That's a lot of destruction with no clear benefit," Lin continued. "It would make a lovely distraction, though. And a jailbreak strikes me as one possible goal. So I'm keeping you somewhere other than where you're officially supposed to be."

"He's not going to break me out," Li said.

"He doesn't like you that much, huh?" Li glowered at her, but didn't rise further to the bait. Lin shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. I'm not putting all my eggs in one basket. I've got as many men as I can spare watching other likely targets. He won't catch us napping."

Li stayed silent, once again staring straight ahead at nothing in particular. Lin shook her head. She hadn't expected much and she wasn't getting it. She turned her attention back to coordinating her men, leaving Li to whatever thoughts she kept behind her mask.

* * *

 

The streets were nearly deserted. Asami had heard the police curfew announcement over the radio. There was no way the cops could enforce it, but the honest citizens of Republic City seemed willing to cooperate in the state of emergency. Asami knew there was little she could do to help with the fires, so she drove around looking for the dishonest citizens.

The radio receiver crackled, and Yin's Medium voice came over the speaker. " _We've had a call from Safehouse 9_." Even through the electronic distortion, Yin sounded disapproving.

"One of the agents needs assistance?"

" _No. It was the Avatar. She broke in to use the phone_."

Asami raised an eyebrow. "Broke in."

" _She's 'sorry' but she needed to get in touch with you and 'guessed' that you had some way of monitoring the phone line_."

Asami couldn't help chuckling at her assistant's aggrieved tone.  "Well, she was right about that."

" _Yes_ ," Yin said. " _But she didn't know for sure, and she could have brought outside attention to the building_."

"Which is owned by a series of shell companies and would not get traced back to us. What did she want?"

" _To talk to you. But_..."

"Then patch me through," Asami said. "I agree there are operational concerns, but you're the one who counseled me to trust her. I assume given everything that's going on tonight, she's not just calling to say 'Hello', so I might as well hear what she has to say."

Yin's voice was replaced by a series of clicks and then by the sound of a phone ringing. After only the second ring it was picked up and the Avatar said " _Hello_?" on the other end.

Asami decided to skip the preliminaries. "What did you need to talk to me about?"

" _Do you have access to an airplane or something_?"

That certainly wasn't what Asami had been expecting. "Or something. Why?"

" _I have an idea on how to help fight these fires, but I need to be airborne over Yue bay. And I need my hands free, so I can't fly myself._ "

Asami considered this for a moment. "All right. Stay put. Your location is on my way to the airfield." She made a hard turn at speed and gunned the engine. Her tires squealed in protest. "Medium, since I know you're listening, please alert Agent 31 to get the autogyro prepped for takeoff."

Yin came on the line sighing, " _Do you know what you're doing_?"

"No, but I'm sure I'll find out soon. Ghost out."

* * *

 

Korra was used to fast driving from her work, but she had nothing on the Ghost. The Ghost's assistant, the Medium, was directing them to avoid the fires, and the streets they took were mostly empty. That certainly helped, but more than once Korra was not entirely certain how they had avoided skidding out of control to collide with a lamp post. Or a parked car. Or a building. She gripped the door handle and wondered if her metal bending was good enough to provide any extra protection in a smash-up.

"What's an autogyro, anyway?" she asked to distract herself.

"It's a bit like a plane, but it uses a top rotor instead of wings for lift."

_I understood most of those words_. "Am I going to have to watch my head?"

The Ghost glanced sideways at her, and Korra realized she might be distracting the driver as well as herself. Fortunately, they had reached the outskirts of the city and were heading out into the countryside. "You're not going to be able to ride standing up," the Ghost told her, "But if you need to, you'll have some head room to rise up out of your seat. Not much. Are you going to need to?"

"I might. I'll let you know."

"While we're asking questions," the Ghost said, "what is your idea, exactly."

"Have you ever seen a waterspout? I'm going to create one over Yue Bay and turn it into the biggest fire hose in the world."

The Ghost drove in silence. Korra glanced at her, waiting. "I'm not sure it works like that," the other woman said eventually. She sounded apologetic. "There's limits to how much you can lift with just air pressure. And even with an updraft..."

"That's true enough, if I were only using Airbending. If I combine it with Waterbending, I should be able to lift more water faster than a natural wind could." She took a deep breath. "The theory is sound enough." _I hope_. "I've just never attempted to bend two elements at the same time on this sort of scale."

"Theory."

Korra waggled her hand. "Well, more like ten thousand years of practical application of bending. Not all of it's written down, but there's some good stuff in what's there. It's all more _how_ it works instead of _why_ it works, though."

The Ghost exhaled sharply. "Sorry. I'm used to trusting in physics. What you're talking about, it's like another world. It takes some getting used to."

"If it helps, I spent the first seventeen years of my life trusting physics, so I'm living proof that you can get used to the alternative." Korra tightened her grip on the door again as the Ghost made a sharp turn onto a side road. "Besides, that's at least the fifth time you've broken or at least bent the hell out of the laws of physics on this drive, so I'm not sure you're one to talk."

The Ghost laughed. "Oh, if you think this is good, you should see a car chase. You haven't lived until you've done this trying to follow someone who's weaving erratically and firing a gun at you all the while."

"Trust me. I'm OK with that."

"Oh, stop fretting. We're here."

The road came out onto a field. There was a small hut in the distance with a machine next to it that Korra assumed must be the autogyro. As they got close, she could see that the aircraft was parked on a runway that ran the length of the field. As advertised, the machine had no wings, although at least it had tail fins. There was a propeller in front. The top rotor was mounted on heavy struts over two open air cockpits. The Ghost brought the car to a stop nearby, and the two climbed out.

"It's certainly... compact," Korra said.

"It's lightweight and maneuverable," the Ghost said. "And fast. We'll be over the bay in ten minutes tops."

"Good. Time has been worrying me most. I can't help wondering how much will burn down before we can put the plan in action."

The Ghost left her hat in the car and picked up a leather flying helmet from the front seat of the autogyro and started to strap it on. She handed Korra a pair of goggles. "With your mask, you don't really need the helmet, but you'll probably be glad of these."

Korra climbed in the back seat and slipped the goggles on. The Ghost climbed in the front. After making some adjustments to the instruments, she pressed the starter, and the engine roared to life. Soon the propeller was up to speed, and they started to roll down the runway. As they moved forward, the rotor above Korra's head began to spin, faster and faster as their ground speed increased. And then they were aloft, rising easily over the trees at the edge of the field. The Ghost banked the autogyro, and the skyline of Republic City was before them. From this angle she couldn't see any fires, but the pall of smoke building over the city was unmistakable. The little flier turned until the dark expanse of Yue Bay lay before them.

* * *

 

"Up and at 'em, Ping." The voice was accompanied by the sound of banging against the cell bars. Two-Toed Ping groaned and opened his eyes. Jail stunk at the best of times, and tonight all of police headquarters seemed to have gone crazy. Sirens coming and going. Coppers rushing about like a whole flock of headless arctic hens. He'd finally managed to go to sleep, and now this. He looked up at the cell door and frowned.

The big man rapping the nightstick against the bars was in uniform all right but a uniform that didn't quite fit right. Then Ping noticed another figure sprawled motionless on the floor behind the man. The still figure looked like one of the jailers. Ping jumped to his feet. "Are you crazy?" he whispered. "Slugging a cop? Do you know how much trouble that'll be?"

"Don't worry about it. He'll be all right." The big guy rapped the nightstick once against his palm and then put it away.

"You hit a man hard enough to put him down, he don't always get back up." Ping said. He looked at the man in the hall, trying to place him. Greasy black hair, bushy eyebrows, drooping mustache. Not one of the soldiers Ping knew. "I was ready to sit tight. Is Zolt crazy, breaking me out like this?"

The big man shrugged. "Yeah, about that. I'm not here from Zolt, and this isn't a breakout." He drew a gun and pointed it through the bars. "Sorry. It's just business, you know."

Ping put up his hands. "Wait a second! I've been keeping quiet. The cops, they've got nothing from me that can be tied back to the triad. I'm loyal. I've been playing by the rules."

The gunman just nodded sympathetically. "I know. It probably doesn't seem fair, but this isn't about 'fair'."

Ping stared down the muzzle of the gun and sagged. "Ah, hell."

* * *

 

The flight to the bay had gone by in silence. Asami glanced over her shoulder. The Avatar was sitting up straight in her seat, hands held out to the side, turning this way and that. She stopped at meeting Asami's glance and leaned forward. "Getting the feel for how the air moves around this thing. I don't want to interfere with our flight when I start airbending," she said, shouting to be heard over the engine.

Asami nodded. It was not a problem that would have occurred to her to worry about. She'd just have to trust the other woman's skill. Otherwise, what was the point of flying out here in the first place? "We'll be over the center of the bay shortly," she yelled back. "What do I do then?"

"Start flying in a circle. Counterclockwise. I'll tell you how to adjust as we go."

"Wilco." She guided the autogyro into the turn, making it as tight as she could without the controls fighting her.

Behind her, the Avatar shifted in her seat, and Asami made a slight adjustment to account for the shift in balance. "A bit lower," the Avatar called out. Asami nosed downward until her passenger said, "That's good!" She glanced over her shoulder. The Avatar was half crouched sideways in her seat, facing the inside of their turn. She made pulling gestures with her hands in the direction of their flight.

In the dark it was hard to see the effects at first. For a few cycles, there was nothing. Then Asami thought she could just hear something toward the center of the circle, a slight extra roar over the drone of the engine and the air rushing past her head. As the turn brought the rising moon to her left, she thought that the water inside their circle might look choppier than the rest of the bay. On the next turn, there was a clear spiral current. Then she could see drops of spray, glittering in the moonlight as they rose upward and overtook the aircraft. "Maybe you should widen the circle a little," the Avatar shouted. "It's growing faster than I expected. Whoa!"

With a roar, a wall of water streamed upward through the spiraling air. Asami swerved outward instinctively, then resumed circling with a little more space between the aircraft and the churning vortex. The Avatar said something that might have been an apology, but Asami couldn't hear very well over the roar of the water and her own laughter.

* * *

 

The first drops made Ito think someone was being careless with the hoses. He looked around, but all his crew were doing their jobs properly. He felt another drop on his face and held out his hand to check. Sure enough, he felt rain on his hand, a few drops at first, but it picked up quickly. He looked up, shaking his head. "Impossible." The skies had been clear, and there was barely any wind for a storm front to blow in on.

His crew started to notice as well. He heard them mutter among themselves and saw them glance skyward. "Eyes on the job," he called to them. "Keep your mind on what you're doing." He shouldn't, couldn't count on the rain lasting long enough to do any good. Nonetheless, a smile spread across his face as it pelted down harder. This might give them the edge they needed. He murmured a quiet prayer to the Spirits.

Above him, a hard rain fell from the cloudless sky.


	21. Loose Ends

Two-Toed Ping looked about as good as you could expect in a morgue photo, which was to say not very. Mako closed the file and looked at the Chief. She looked exhausted. "Wrong crime. Wrong target," she said quietly.

"Chief?"

She looked him in the eye. "I guessed the fires last night would be used for a distraction, but I thought they'd try to break out our Miss Li. I was wrong, and here we are."

Mako didn't know what to say to that. "How's Officer Song?" he asked.

"Concussion. He'll recover. But they were willing to risk that he wouldn't. Just to get to Ping. And I want to know why." She drummed her fingers on the desk.

He frowned. "Surely, it was to keep him quiet."

"Maybe. He wasn't telling us anything, though. And he wasn't going to either. I've never been one to speak well of the dead, but Ping had his own twisty version of honor. Nothing we could offer him or threaten him with would have made him turn on the Triple Threats. So either someone didn't know him that well, or they feared for something his honor wouldn't protect."

"Like what?"

Lin gave him a flat look. "If I knew that, I'd know who to arrest."

"Do you want me to investigate Ping's murder?" Mako asked.

Lin shook her head. "I've got someone on it already."

Mako shook his head, baffled. "Then what did you call me in for?"

"Do you remember what I said to you about luck the other night?"

Mako swallowed, stood straight, and stared ahead. "Yes, Ma'am. I do."

Lin leaned forward. "These people are playing by rules I don't recognize, and they set fire to my city for reasons I don't understand. Today I am telling you that if it will help prevent a repeat of last night's events, I'm prepared to tolerate a certain amount of ... luck. Do you understand me Detective?"

Mako looked at her in surprise. He wasn't sure exactly how much Lin had guessed about him, but he could tell she was being serious. And that this wasn't easy for her. He gave her a nod. "Yes, Chief. I understand."

* * *

 

Asami's new personal assistant was an earnest young man with spectacles. He called Korra "ma'am" three times in the course of one sentence, but he took her directly to see Asami, so she was willing to overlook the fact. Asami was not in her private office. Instead, Korra was lead to a conference room on the same floor. Asami was alone, although to judge by the number of water glasses sitting on the table, she hadn't been earlier. She looked up from her notepad and greeted Korra with a big smile.

Korra spread her arms wide. "I've come to take you away from all this."

"Oh, yes, please." Asami stood up and gave a bone popping stretch before walking over to give Korra a kiss. "It's been a long day."

"Was your business hit by the fires?"

Asami waggled her hand. "Some loss of property. None of our people were hurt, thank the Spirits. Were you out in any of that?"

"Got caught at home by the curfew," Korra lied. "Although the ambulance corps had it relatively easy compared to the fire brigade and the police, so I might have been sent home even if I'd got to the hospital. And they were glad today to have some drivers who had had a full night's sleep."

They passed by Asami's assistant on their way to the elevator. He called both of them ma'am, but at least he only did it once each. "He's very... polite," Korra said, once the were out of earshot.

Asami chuckled. "He got pulled from the night switchboard, and I think he's still mildly terrified by the promotion, so I'm trying to go easy on him."

Korra grinned. "I promise not to traumatize him too much when I come to visit."

"Well, as long as he doesn't try to frame me for a felony, I'm sure we'll get along fine."

There were others waiting for the elevator when they arrived, and the conversation became more general until they were down in the lobby. Asami gave a big yawn as they crossed the lobby.

"You know if you're tired..." Korra began.

To her relief, Asami interrupted her. "Don't you dare try to wriggle out of this date," she said with mock severity. "Looking forward to it has been keeping me sane today."

"Yes, Ma'am," Korra said. Asami jabbed her in the ribs with an elbow. "What were you doing today that's got you so wiped? Figuring out how to recover from the fire?"

"Nah. That was easy the easy bit. Most of today was devoted to figuring out how to rebuild the rest of the city from the damage."

"I don't want to be a negative Nini," Korra said, "but aren't some people going to look at it funny if Future Industries is involved too much in the restoration?"

Asami looked smug. "Actually, I've got an idea about how to deal with that."

* * *

 

The door to the darkroom was open and the light was on. Opal looked in. Bolin had his back to her and was tidying up his supplies. She knocked on the door frame. "Hey. Can I come in?"

He smiled. "Sure. I"m almost done here. Although if you've got a hot story, I can grab my camera and finish this later."

"No, it's nothing like that. I just thought I'd stop down and say 'Hi.'" She gave a him a little wave. "Hi." _Oh Spirits. You work with words for a living. You shouldn't sound like such an idiot_.

Bolin just chuckled and said "Hi," back at her. He started writing down the stock levels of his chemicals in a notebook, keeping his body half turned toward her. She leaned against a bench and looked for something non-breakable to fidget with.

After the silence had dragged on a bit, Bolin said, "I was sorry to hear that Moon trimmed your article so much."

Opal suppressed a sign. _Of course_. _The rumor mill_ would _pick up on that_. "She's got a point. We don't have any proof about some grand conspiracy behind everything. Just hearsay."

"Hearsay from two people at the center of everything who didn't know we were listening."

Opal shrugged. "One of those people is still missing and the other is telling a very different story." Bolin started to protest and Opal held up her hand. "Look right now, 'It's a conspiracy,' is just a big question masquerading as an answer. We don't know anything about these people, what they want, or what they're going to do next. When I've got facts, Moon will print them. So that's what I'm going to do. Get the facts."

"What _we're_ going to do," Bolin said.

Opal looked up in surprise. Bolin was looking more serious and determined than she'd ever seen him. She gave him a nod and smiled. "Thanks."

Her simple answer seemed to embarrass him, and he dove back into putting his workspace in order. Before long, he picked up his jacket. "Well, I'm done here," he said as he shrugged it on. "I guess I'll be heading—"

"Do you want to go out for a drink?" Opal said.

Bolin hesitated. "You mean to talk about investigating the conspiracy?"

She took a deep breath. "No. I mean a drink. You and me, together at a bar. We can talk about... whatever."

He smiled at her. "Yeah, I'd like that."

She smiled back. "OK, then." They left the darkroom, and Bolin turned off the lights and locked up. In the hall, he offered Opal his arm. _Aunt Lin is going to be insufferable when she hears about this_. Opal took hold of Bolin's arm, and together then walked out of the building.

* * *

 

Asami begged off from a late night on the grounds of having another big day tomorrow. That was convenient for Korra, yet still disappointing. _You need to plan a night free of crime-fighting_ , she said to herself, _so the two of you can really make a night of it_. Still, they managed to get some dancing in after dinner. And the good night kiss in the car lasted a bit longer than was quite proper for such a public place. Well, several minutes longer to be perfectly honest. Korra walked up to her apartment with what she was sure must be the world's goofiest grin plastered on her face. When Mr. Fang opened his door to look at her, pinch-faced as always, she just smiled at him and said "Isn't it a wonderful evening?"

He looked surprised. "I— I suppose so."

She opened the door to her place. "Have a marvelous night," she said to him as she went in.

"Er, yes. Thank you. You too." He continued to stare at her as she closed the door. Once it was shut, she snickered.

She went into her bedroom and pulled the duffel bag where she kept her Avatar uniform out from under her bed. Once she was changed, she went to the broom cupboard and got out her kite. Then she made a phone call. "Hello, Pema. I'm ready to head out. Are we on?"

" _We are. If you are sure about this_."

"I'm sure," she said. "It's the right thing to do."

" _It's certainly a good thing to do. I just want you to be prepared for how this will change things_ ," Pema answered.

"I've thought this through, and I'm ready," Korra assured her.

" _Then I'll see you shortly._ " The call ended with a click.

Korra opened the window of her apartment and climbed out on the fire escape. She climbed up to the roof of the building and took flight, heading for Pema's meditation center.

* * *

 

Kya opened the door of the meditation center. Pema was in the front room waiting for her. The younger woman gave her a smile and a hug.

"Is everything all right?" Kya asked. "You said it was important on the phone, but you didn't say why?"

"Everything's fine," Pema said. "There's just someone here who wants to talk to you."

Kya grimaced. "Is this going to take long? After the events of last night, I'm working on maybe three hours' sleep since yesterday morning."

"I'm pretty sure you'll want to talk to her as well. Come on through."

Pema lead her through into the residential part of the building, and upstairs to the study. She opened the door, and Kya drew in a sharp breath. The Avatar was standing in the study, waiting for them. Kya stepped through the door. Pema stayed in the hall, shutting the door to leave Kya alone with the masked woman.

"Hi," the Avatar said.

"Hello," Kya said. She cast around for something to say. "Is your friend all right?"

"She's fine," the Avatar said. "Thank you again for your help. But that's not why I asked you here. Not exactly." The Avatar twiddled her fingers together and Kya realized the woman was nervous. "I had a breakthrough since the last time we spoke. I got in touch with my past lives. With Aang. And I wanted to give you the chance to talk. About him. Or to him, through me. If you want to."

"I..." Kya leaned on the back of a chair. She shook her head, searching for words.

"But before we go further with that," the Avatar said. "You deserve to know the truth. About me." Kya stared at her confused. As she watched, the Avatar reached up and pulled her mask up over her head. Kya's eyes grew wide. The face of Korra looked back at her, a nervous smile on her face.

"I want you to understand something," Korra said, now using her normal voice. "I didn't know anything about who I was or who you were when I came to work at the hospital. I don't know if it was coincidence or fate or some instinct prompted by my past life. I wasn't lying to you or hiding anything when we met or when we became friends." She looked down at her feet. "The lies came later, and I'm sorry about those. I hope you can forgive me."

Kya stepped forward and pulled Korra into a hug. She started to cry.

Korra hugged her back and patted her on the shoulder. "It's all right. Let it all out. It'll be all right."

Kya thought she could hear the shadow of her father in the words. She drew in a shuddering breath. "You know what? I think maybe it really will be."

* * *

 

The night air was crisp and blessedly free of the smell of smoke. Korra glided over the city streets, enjoying a peaceful end to a perfect evening. If she saw trouble, she'd intervene, but tonight she hoped the criminal element would just stay home.

When her peace was broken, it was not in the way she expected. From a rooftop ahead of her there was a pop and a hiss, and a red flare rose up trailing sparks. Korra looked down. A lone dark figure stood in the center of a rooftop. She banked her kite closer. The figure looked up and Korra saw the black scarf and the goggles. The Ghost gave her a wave, and she came in for a landing.

"I hoped you might pass this way on your patrol," the Ghost said.

"You were waiting for me?"

"Not exactly. I've been doing my patrol, but I admit I picked a route that I thought might intersect yours. You disappeared on me last night. I'm used to being the one that does that to people. Anyway, I wanted to say good job and congratulations on your first case."

"I'm not sure I'd call it a success," Korra said. "Yorru is still at large. And he's not finished, I'm sure of it. He's got plans. I don't believe he's going to let the failure of one scheme stop him. I'm not sure the case is really closed."

"It goes that way sometimes. Just remember, you gave him a big setback, and you saved the city in the process. He's going to have to regroup, and he's lost the ability to act publicly."

Korra shook her head. "So when he strikes again, it'll come out of nowhere."

"You'll be ready for him. We'll be ready for him."

Korra looked at the other woman. "Are you suggesting a partnership?"

"Something like that. Not full time. We each have our own way of doing things. What works for you is different than what works for me. Most of the time we'll be most effective doing our own thing. But if you ever need my help, you've got it." She held out a card. "And so you don't have to go through so much rigmarole to get in touch next time, this number will get you through direct to someone who knows where to find me."

Korra took the card feeling a little overwhelmed. "Gee, and I didn't get you anything. Seriously, thanks. I want you to know, you can count on me too. I don't have a really good way for you to get in touch. I guess I could alway patrol past this building, or some other building of your choice. You could have someone up here, or leave a signal. I don't know, I'm not used to thinking about these things."

The Ghost laughed. "It's a deal. We can figure out a good scheme later." She held out her hand. "For now, well it's a bit overdue, but welcome to the fight."

Korra grasped the other woman's hand. "Thanks. Happy to be here."

* * *

 

Asami looked at the sleeping figure from her place in the shadows. "Lighting Bolt Zolt," she said. Zolt came awake immediately and reached for the drawer of his bedside table.

"I wouldn't bother," Asami said, not moving. "I already removed the bullets." He ignored her and pulled out the gun she had found a few minutes ago. He pointed at the corner where she stood and pulled the trigger. She chuckled as it clicked harmlessly. "Some people just won't be told." He dropped the gun and reached for the phone. "There's no one to call, Zolt. The only people still awake in this house are you and me."

He put down the receiver and sat up in the bed. "Who are you? What do you want?"

She stepped out of the shadows. "I believe you know who I am. As for what I want, I'm here to talk about what happened to Two-Toed Ping."

"What do you care?" Zolt asked. "He tried to kill you."

She strolled across the room. She pulled out one of the bullets she'd taken from his gun and tapped it against the top of the chest of drawers. One, two, three times. "A lot of people try to kill me, Zolt. If I took it personally, there wouldn't be many of you left alive."

He sneered at her. "Pretty big talk."

"Yes. It's almost as if I thought I could do something like, oh I don't know, make my way into the private room of one of the city's most powerful gangsters. Stop trying to annoy me and return to the subject at hand."

Zolt shrugged. "OK, so Ping got his. It's a shame. He was a good soldier."

"Someone puts one of your men, a 'good soldier,' in the morgue, and all you can say is that it's a shame?" She shook her head. "You should be out for blood. It's disrespect, bad for your reputation. So you either you had someone to do with it, or you know who did and don't want to go after them. Are you afraid?"

He sat up straighter and jabbed a finger at her. "I'm Lightning Bolt Zolt. I'm not afraid of anybody."

"That sounds more like lack of imagination than anything else." She paced the room, keeping an eye on Zolt at all times. "The police still think Ping was killed because he knew something. But that's not quite right, is it? I think he was killed to conceal the fact that he didn't know anything. His last service to you was to be your smokescreen. But it won't work, because to sell it you have to convince people you let your lieutenant practically take over your organization. How long will you last if people think you're slipping like that. Whoever got rid of Ping isn't the friend you think they are."

Zolt took just a little too long to answer. "You're crazy," he said.

"Maybe. Maybe you really are slipping that badly, in which case you won't be my problem for long." He bared his teeth at her and clenched his fists, but kept quiet. Asami made her way to the window and pushed the sash up. "If you're not worried about your associates, then you'd better worry about me. They hurt my city, and that's something I do take personally. Sooner or later they're going down. If you're with them, you won't enjoy it. Pleasant dreams, Zolt." She dropped from the window and disappeared into the night.

* * *

 

Lau Gan-Lan paced the conference room nervously. The view of the city below was breathtaking, but he barely noticed it. He didn't like to be kept waiting, and being kept waiting in an unfamiliar place was the worst. It made him fretful and peevish. Wondering what people were doing out of his presence, worrying about what would happen when they finally showed up. He sighed. He knew that he should be dynamic and forceful, the sort of man no one would dare keep waiting, but he just didn't have the knack.

He glanced at his companion. The man they called Lightning Bolt Zolt. He didn't seem like the sort one dared to keep waiting, but here he was. He hadn't looked happy when he arrived (five minutes late himself, and displeased that Lau Gan-Lan was the only one waiting). As the minutes ticked by, his expression became more and more furious.

Lau stared at Zolt a little too long. The gangster looked up, met his gaze, and said "Stop pacing and sit down, or I'll break your legs." Lau promptly sat in the nearest chair.

"That's hardly courteous to your fellow guest, Mr. Zolt." Both Lau and Zolt turned. The door to the conference room had opened without either of them hearing it. The Inner Circle, as Lau tended to think of them, were at last arriving for the meeting

Yorru— no wait, he was supposed to be called Zaheer, now. Zaheer was the one who had spoken. He led the others into the room and walked to the chair at the head of the table. When he had discarded the name he had used as the city prosecutor, he had also shaved off his beard and all of his hair. In a strange optical illusion, it made his entire body look bigger.

He was followed by Ghazan and Ming-Hua. Neither of them looked particularly happy. Of course their fourth member, P'Li, was sitting in the Republic City jail right now. Lau wasn't too pleased about that state of affairs himself. Ghazan plopped himself down in the closest chair and put his feet up on the table. Ming Hua walked over to sit next to Lau.

She leaned close to him. "The arms are working well." She held up one gloved hand and flexed the fingers. The motion was not completely natural, and there was a faint whine from the servos in the hand, but he still felt a swell of pride.

"I'm glad you're pleased," he said. "It was an interesting engineering challenge."

"Are you done?" Zolt said.

"Mr. Zolt would prefer to get down to business, rather than take time on pleasantries," Zaheer said. "Very well. Let us begin. We are all aware that the recent operation was in all important aspects a failure. I hope we can agree that recriminations should take a back seat to learning how to avoid similar mistakes in future." He gestured to Zolt and Lau. "You have both have expressed reservations about continuing your association with our organization. Hopefully a frank exchange of concerns will show us a way forward." As Zolt leaned forward and opened his mouth, Zaheer added "Why don't you go first, Mr. Gan-Lan?" gesturing to him.

Lau gave a nervous look at the gangster before turning back to Zaheer. "Well, sir, the thing is like you say, this has turned out to be a very expensive operation that hasn't really accomplished anything. Miss Sato is still in charge of Future Industries. And, well, she's managed to convince her board somehow that Future Industries should provide its rebuilding services at cost. No one can underbid that, of course, but she's going around convincing the other businesses that for the good of the city, they shouldn't compete but just come in as partners. And they're buying it. They all figure the good publicity is worth it, and the more that sign on the less it costs any of them individually. I'll probably have add Cabbage Corp to the effort. It would look bad not to."

"She is turning out to be a more challenging opponent than we anticipated," Zaheer said.

"My sources say she made a big private contribution to the Rebuilding Fund," Ghazan said with gloomy relish. "Anonymously of course, but there will be rumors."

"Yes, further attempt to smear her reputation won't do any good, at least for the time being. We'll have to look for different levers to shift Miss Sato. However," he turned to Lau with a smile, "I can at least guarantee that you and your company do not suffer financial loss, particularly as you are probably the only one in this room who performed his tasks without error." Out of the corner of his eye, Lau saw Zolt stiffen at this remark. "We will arrange a transfer of funds necessary to cover your expense and losses. Discreetly, of course."

Lau managed a nervous smile. "Oh, well that will be... fine."

Zolt pounded the table, making Lau jump. "Throwing your money around might be good enough for Old Man Cabbage here, but money isn't going to get me back the men I lost, and it's not going to rebuild my reputation."

"Well, Mr. Zolt, first given your practice of recruiting from the shallow end of the talent pool, I'd say money will easily buy you back men just as good as the ones you lost. Second, you're greatest staffing problems came from your own blunders. First that ridiculous attempt on the Chief of Police's life."

"It was supposed to look like Tarrlok taking revenge for her embarrassing him in the City Council," Zolt said tightly.

"An unnecessary embellishment, which you did not discuss with any of us before attempting," Zaheer said, waving it aside with his hand. "Then there was your equally asinine attempt on the Ghost's life."

Zolt rose halfway out of his chair and pointed at Lau. "She was snooping around for Cabbage Head's bomb factory. I was just supposed to let her go there?"

"Yes! She would have found nothing of use and gone away convinced that you were at least not in league with us." Zaheer took a deep breath and ran his hand over his scalp. "Let us not give way to rancor. Ultimately, the weakest link in this operation was my part of the plan. That's where it all fell apart. I freely admit that. But Mr. Zolt, you are given to reckless and unconsidered behavior. If you wish to continue our association, we will provide the means to reestablish your organization's manpower. But you must undertake to act in harmony with the rest of us in future operations."

"Nuts to that!" Zolt stood up. "You admitted it yourself. You screwed up. I was supposed to get a nice sweet ally in the City Council when your political career took off, and I'm getting zilch. I don't care what your next harebrained scheme is. I'll take that money, and then I'm out. And you'd better steer clear of me, understand?"

Ghazan sat up in his seat, but Zaheer waved him back. Ming Hua stayed still in her chair next to Lau, but he could practically feel the tension in her. Zaheer sighed. "Very well, Mr. Zolt. If that is your decision, I will not try to sway you. But please first, have a drink so that we can show there are no hard feelings." At the words Ming Hua rose and went to a cabinet set against the wall. She opened it and took out a decanter of amber liquid, and started pouring it out in five glasses.

Zolt sat back down slowly. "If it will keep you sweet, I won't say no. But this changes nothing. We aren't friends. We don't even know each other."

"Agreed." Zaheer smiled and leaned back in his chair.

Ming Hua set Lau's glass down first. He picked it up and took a sniff. Fire whiskey. Good quality stuff if he was any judge. Ming Hua circled around to Zaheer's seat, setting down a glass for him, and then proceeded to Zolt. Once she had given the gangster his glass, Zaheer said. "A toast, to an easy parting of former allies. It's Nothing Personal."

At his words, Ming Hua dropped the tray with the two remaining glasses on the floor, stepped up behind Zolt's chair, seized the man's head in both hands and twisted. There was a snap, and he collapsed lifeless across the table. Lau screamed and dropped his own glass on the floor.

Ming Hua gave him a smile. "The arms work perfectly."

Zaheer turned away from Zolt's body. "So, Mr. Gan-Lan. Let's discuss our goals for our continued association."

Lau licked his lips. "A few minutes ago, my main goal was to stay out of prison. Right now, I'd settle for leaving this room alive."

Zaheer looked pained. "I assure you, you are in no danger from us. You are a man of sense. Even if you chose to part company, I know I could trust your discretion. I had no such confidence in Mr. Zolt. Your death would be unnecessary, and I do nothing without reason."

"That's good to know," Lau said, hoarsely.

Zaheer smiled. "I hope, sir, that in time you will find profit in the friendship of the Red Lotus."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Avatar and the Ghost will return to join forces against a new threat in Mystery Women: Book 2 - Air. Until then, stay Mysterious, True Believers.
> 
> OK, that's not really all. First, big thanks to all of you who have followed along on this and shown your appreciation. This has been a bit of a whirlwind, because the story was already finished and published on FFNet. I'll be bringing over a couple shorter works in the series as well before Air begins, which will be published simultaneously on here on AO3 and on FFNet . Air will go much slower, because while I've been working on it in the interim, it is still in development.
> 
> Second, I want to give a shout out to my big inspirations for the Mystery Women stories outside of the Avatar-verse: the pulp and radio heroes of the early twentieth century. The Ghost in particular draws heavily on the Shadow and also on the excellent twenty-first century Shadow pastiche, Greg Taylor's Red Panda Adventures. If you want some excellent OTR-style superheroics, I can't recommend it highly enough.
> 
> Take care and see you soon.


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